Red, White & Bluetiful!

Happy Independence Day from Anderson Shumaker! It’s a fantastic weekend for a barbecue, fireworks, or a fun getaway. Most importantly, today Americans come together to celebrate our nation’s history and heritage. To help you celebrate, here are a few fun Independence Day facts:

Did You Know…?

While July 4th was not a federal holiday until 1938, Americans have celebrated it since 1777. The first official White House Independence Day party was in 1804.
According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, Americans eat 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day alone. Consequently, that’s enough to form a line of buns from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles 5+ times!
Speaking of hot dogs, Anderson Shumaker’s home city has a famous one: the Chicago Style. Vienna Beef crafted this dog in 1893 for the Columbia Exposition World’s Fair. Its official ingredients: yellow mustard, chopped white onion, bright green sweet pickle relish, tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers, a dill pickle spear, celery salt, but ABSOLUTELY NO KETCHUP!
Americans love fireworks! For example, the American Pyrotechnics Association states that in 2018, Americans spent $1 billion dollars on 268 million pounds of fireworks. To clarify: that is enough for each adult and child to have 1 pound of fireworks!
John Hancock was the only person to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. However, the other 55 signatures came July 5th and 6th.
Since 1777, the American flag has been redesigned 27 times. The present flag consists of 13 horizontal red and white stripes, which represent the original 13 colonies. Meanwhile, the 50 white stars on a blue field to represent the 50 states. Blue represents perseverance, justice, and vigilance; white is for innocence and purity; and red represents valor and hardiness.
Benjamin Franklin suggested the national bird be the turkey instead of the bald eagle.
Lastly, Americans aren’t the only ones who celebrate Independence Day. Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, and Ireland celebrate this American holiday to attract tourists.

However you choose to celebrate this weekend, we wish you explosive excitement and a little sparkle on this Independence Day.