Fourth of July FUN and Food

The 4^th of July is my absolute favorite holiday. My small town goes all out on the fourth. We have a carnival with tons of vendors selling food, crafts, clothes, and so much more, in our local park. Ooh I can smell the roasted corn now!

We start the day with annual parade which is always VERY entertaining!

Then we walk through the park looking at all the different pop up shops until we get so hot and sweaty that we feel like we might pass out.

We end the night with a small family gathering at my house where we cook and sit in my back yard and watch the fireworks.

There are so many things that I have to fit into this one day that I need an itemized itinerary!

10:00 Parade

My kids are almost always in the parade for something, so we have to get up extra early to get ready. A couple of years ago, it was not until 10:00 at night that I realized my daughter had nothing to wear the next day. Thanks to Pinterest and a mad dash to Wal-Mart, I was able to put together this really cute shirt.

Isn’t she precious!!! Go here for how to instructions.

Most of my itinerary involves what I am going to eat. I have several favorite items that vendors sell on this day and if I don’t plan it out, I will get too full and not get to eat everything that I need to!

12:00 Lunch

We have this amazing man who makes the most amazing baked potatoes in the world! I once stood in line for an hour to get one. He takes a baked potato and stuffs it with butter, sour cream, shredded cheese and tops it off with brisket and BBQ sauce!!! YUM!!!

Then it is time for my first dessert. I try to take it easy for my first dessert, since I will have to fit a funnel cake in at some point. There are these ladies that sell these AMAZING fruit cups.

Recipe here

Mexican Fruit cup

2:00 CRAFT SHOW TIME!!!

There is an entire building full of craft booths. Then I have to get a glass of the best lemonade in the world! You can actually feel the sugar crunch in your teeth!!!

3:00 Nap time

After being in the Texas heat for 5 hours, it is time to cool off and take a quick nap…if not we will never be able to make it.

5:00 Back to the park!!!

This day is the day that all the people that are originally from our small town come home. Class reunions are held on this day and it is just a great time to run into people that you haven’t seen in a while and you don’t even have to make arrangements, everyone is in the park!

6:00 Snacktime

Time for a quick snack before returning home for our own BBQ. This usually consists of a roasted corn on the cob. We enjoy the last of the evening walking around the park before we head home. This is usually the time our kids take off with their friends and head to the carnival…not us…we are too old now!

7:00 Dinner and Fireworks

Everyone comes over to hang out , visit and eat before watching the fireworks. When my kids return home they bring me my final treat, a funnel cake YUM YUM YUM!!!

We have the best time ever and to all of my readers who don’t have a similar experience planed for the 4^th, I’ve included the yummy recipes that are making my mouth water already.