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American University employees celebrate the holiday with friends

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An American flag flies on AU’s campus the week of July Fourth. Photo by Madison Hoffman

American University faculty and staff will be celebrating the Fourth of July this Friday with their friends.

University librarian Olivia Ivey plans to attend a cookout with her friends, and later, a fireworks-viewing party. Usually, her family visits D.C. to celebrate, but this year they will be postponing their visit until Ivey’s wedding later in the year.

Rebekah Johnson, a recent American University graduate and new staff member, hopes to do the same.

First thing in the morning on Friday will be brunch with a group of her friends, complete with special Fourth of July pancakes. In the evening, she’ll be going to a friend’s house near the National Mall to see the fireworks.

Back home in Dallas, Johnson usually spends time with her church group to celebrate the holiday, viewing fireworks and attending soccer games. This year, she’ll be among the revelers at one of the nation’s largest fireworks displays, according to the National Park Service website.

Leanza Bethel, a receptionist at the Leonard Hall dormitory, is planning to attend the Capitol Fourth program on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, a memorable event combining musical performances with a fireworks display. Fireworks, she said, are her favorite part of the Fourth of July.

Before Bethel came to Washington D.C., she celebrated the holiday by attending the family gathering and barbecue that her parents held.

This year is Charlotte Vogler’s first living in Washington, D.C., and she’s looking forward to celebrating her favorite holiday in the capital. As an AU receptionist, she will be working part of the day, but afterwards plans to see the fireworks at the U.S. Capitol with her friends.

When she spends the Fourth of July holiday with her family, sometimes the celebrations get a little more hands on.

“Usually we go to the mountains and set off our own fireworks,” Vogler said.

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D.C. residents plan to avoid Fourth of July crowds

WASHINGTON–As the Fourth of July approaches, individuals living on American University’s campus are planning to avoid the notoriously crowded festivities happening on the National Mall.

AU students, staff, and youth attending one of the various summer programs on campus cited traffic caused by a crowd of more than 700,000 as a major reason to skip the celebrations.

Ashtyn Quinones, 14, is participating in the National Student Leadership Conference, a program at AU this summer, and said that they won’t be taking part in any large event.

“We’re going to be here,” Quinones said. “They want to avoid traffic.”

Kristen Korfitzen, a New York native and employee of the University Library, won’t be staying in D.C. for the Fourth, but still hopes to see the fireworks over the National Mall.

“I’ll probably meet some friends on the Virginia side of the river to watch them,” Korfitzen said.

Although she plans to participate in Independence Day festivities, Korfitzen’s favorite aspect of the holiday doesn’t include celebrating.

“I usually get the day off from work, so I get to sleep late,” Korfitzen said.

Lee France, an incoming AU junior, isn’t interested in attending one of the traditional celebrations around the city either. Instead, he’ll go to a party.

Although many, including France, are avoiding big events this Fourth of July, their favorite memories of the holiday often involve large-scale celebrations from years past.

“The cliché answer is fireworks, my neighborhood goes crazy,” France said, “There was a time fireworks flew into someone’s window, but no one was really that mad.”

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Ashtyn Quinones, 14, remembers attending a fireworks show in San Francisco. This year, she’ll be participating in events with the National Student Leadership Conference. Photo by Melanie Pincus

Quinones remembers seeing fireworks in San Francisco a couple of years ago, capturing the appeal of celebrating even considering the holiday crowds.

“We were in the most awful place to view,” Quinones said. “But it was still fun because I was with family and friends.”

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For Washington D.C. Fourth of July “everyone’s enjoying themselves”

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An American flag in front of the Mary Graydon Center on American University’s campus July Fourth week. Photo by Tori Cappo

WASHINGTON—This July Fourth many people at American University seem to have three plans in common: fireworks, family and food.

Carli Million, a 17-year-old Californian, and Naomi Lilly, 16, from Maryland, are spending the holiday away from their family. The girls plan to visit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Georgetown with the National Student Leadership Conference, a high school program.

Although it’s Million’s first July Fourth away from home, she said she always looks forward to “having a good day out in the sun—watching fireworks of course.”

Lilly said she loves to catch up with her friends and celebrate Independence Day with a fireworks show while Naomi expressed that gathering on July Fourth, “promotes the most spirit among Americans.”

Nick Wuest, 17, is also in the American spirit approaching Friday’s holiday and said the United States’ declaration of independence from British monarchy is a source of pride.

Sergio Vazquez, 31, from Guadalajara, Mexico, said what he enjoys the most about July Fourth is its history and hearing people on the radio discuss the country’s roots.

Meanwhile, Leanza Bethel, 21, from Texas, will attend a PBS showing about the history of Independence Day with her friends. Although she’s excited to be in Washington, D.C., she’ll miss Texas’ best holiday asset.

“The barbeque is the best because Texas is the best,” Bethel said. She continued, the food display is “the works” and the traditions are “everything Texans do.”

Annika Berystrom, 21, from Colorado, and Alex Edelson, 22, from Georgia, both appreciate relaxing and enjoying their time with friends and family.

Edelson described his overall July Fourth experience as: “Fun. Laid back. Exciting.”

Like Bethel, her fellow holiday-goers could not contain their excitement as their faces lit up with wide smiles when describing their July Fourth plans and memories.

Lilly explained that family, friends, hotdogs and hamburgers go together perfectly on July Fourth.

“Everyone gets involved, and I feel like that’s what’s so great about the holiday,” said Lilly. “Everyone’s there to have a good time and to celebrate. Everyone’s laughing. Everyone’s enjoying themselves.”

 

 

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Celebrating America’s birthday in the nation’s capital

WASHINGTON— Students and locals interviewed on American University’s campus Wednesday said they will be celebrating the nation’s 238th birthday this coming Fourth of July with fireworks and barbecues.

D.C. local and American University student, Emily Whitworth, 19, usually has a traditional barbecue with her family, but this year decided to try something different.

Whitworth is going to a rooftop party with friends, and is excited to watch the National Mall firework celebration from the party, she said.

AU student Victoria Prybyl, 20, from Ithaca, New York, has never been in D.C for the Fourth of July, and is excited about celebrating in the nation’s capitol for the first time, she said.

“I am going to the National Mall with the Discover the World of Communication students,” Prybyl said.”[We are going] near the Washington Monument to watch the fireworks.”

American University sophomore Barbara Martinez, 19, plans on spending her Fourth of July by going to a party with her friend from back home in Queens, a borough of New York City.

Martinez, grew up in Queens and remembers previous Fourth of July celebrations spent on top of her apartment building watching the Manhattan Firework celebration, she said. Martinez also bakes with her mom as another part of her Fourth of July traditions.

“She had like this Fourth of July pie specialty,” Martinez recalled. “She made [it] with strawberries and blueberries to look like a flag.” 

Some D.C residents are still unsure of their plans however.

“I have nothing concrete yet,” Steve Cross, an American University alum, said.

Cross will spend his Fourth of July either in his hometown of Baltimore or in D.C, but either way, Cross will still cook Baltimore steamed crabs, his traditional Fourth of July barbecue food, Cross said.

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Steve Cross poses in front of the quad at AU’s campus. Photo by Andrew Gold

In past years, Cross has also traveled between D.C and Baltimore to see firework celebrations. In a “good year” Cross manages to see up to 10 different fireworks shows in D.C or Baltimore, according to Cross.

Fireworks are not for everyone though, according to AU maintenance worker, Ceasar Caicedo, 46. Caicedo does not plan on attending any firework shows or celebrations. Instead, he plans on celebrating the holiday by taking his kids out of town on a camping trip, where they will have a barbecue, Caicedo said.

Jason Lee Carter, a D.C. local, 34, also plans on spending his Fourth of July with his kids and nature, Carter said. He wants to spend his holiday “floating and fishing” along a river located in the D.C area, according to Carter.

For some D.C residents, however, it’s business as usual on the Fourth of July.  AU student, Alanna Holstein, 20, will be spending her holiday working as a sales associate in Georgetown, Holstein said.

Construction worker, Gordon Schaeffer, 54, also will be working this July Fourth, but might have a cookout at the end of the day, he said.

The Fourth of July has a range of meanings for residents across the D.C area, but AU junior Alex Mazzarisi feels that friends and family are an important part of the celebrations.

“The Fourth of July means celebrating our country’s independence and a great time to get together with friends and family,” Mazzarisi said.  “It’s a great bonding holiday for everyone.”

 

 

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Fourth of July a time for reflection

Erica Rush reflected on Fourth of July memories.
Erica Rush reflected on Fourth of July memories. Photo by Kayla Calhoun

WASHINGTON- Many American University summer students and faculty members shared their favorite Fourth of July memories as they prepared for one of the country’s most celebrated holidays.

Liam Toohey, an American University library employee, is planning on visiting a friend’s house and going to a local park to watch fireworks. Toohey’s favorite part about going to the park last year was watching the fireworks from the top of a hill.

“If you get up far enough, you can see around the surrounding areas,” Toohey said.

Toohey’s favorite memory of the Fourth of July is when he and his friends got stuck in traffic on their way to see a fireworks show.

“When I was 21, we got stuck on the Baltimore Beltway and everyone decided to get out of their cars and watch from there,” Toohey said.

John Douglass, a Washington D.C. native and AU School of Communication professor, remembers watching the National Mall fireworks from the Ellipse, a piece of land in front of the White House.

“I enjoyed hearing the reverberation of the fireworks off the Commerce Department,” Douglass said.

While many may have fond memories of the Fourth of July, some memories remind families to be careful, especially around fireworks.

“We tried to light a sparkler and it popped on me and I got burned,” said Shannon Kamara, who works at the AU Bookstore.

Erica Rush had a similar dangerous experience.

“When we were watching fireworks, my cousin decided to jump off the ledge and landed on his face,” Rush said.

Along with watching fireworks and spending time with friends and family, barbeques are also a popular way to celebrate the Fourth of July and bring back some of the best memories, Kamara said.

“We have barbeques and let the kids watch the fireworks,” Kamara said. “The food doesn’t matter, as long as it is off the grill.”

Overall, D.C residents look forward to making new memories during their Fourth of July celebrations on Friday.

“I like the idea that we get a chance to come together and enjoy the idea of America instead of the ideology,” Toohey said.

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Friends, fireworks, crowds planned for Fourth of July

WASHINGTON–As the Fourth of July approaches, students, faculty and staff at American University have different plans and preparations to commemorate America’s birthday from spending it in the city to hanging out with friends at home.

University Library receptionist, Edward Shine, 20, will marinate steak and then head to a barbecue at a friend’s house Friday afternoon before tackling crowds to see the fireworks at the National Mall for the first time.

Shine, from Boston, is no stranger to holiday crowds. Shine noted his favorite Independence Day memory from Cape Cod, “It was wicked crowded.” Normally, he spends time watching sports with friends and family but this year will be among the crowds at one of the country’s largest Independence Day celebrations.

In Washington, D.C., it will be crowded, too, with more than 700,000 people likely to attend the National Mall’s fireworks, according to The District, a tourist guide. This year marks the bicentennial anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner and commemoration of the War of 1812. Many other festivities at the National Mall will take place, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which offers multicultural performances.

Barbara Martinez is headed right near the city’s top action. She will meet friends at Union Station and then tour the U.S. Capitol.

Martinez, a 19-year-old receptionist at Anderson Hall, will be with friends coming from her hometown in Queens, New York. She remembered seeing the fireworks in downtown Manhattan from her apartment building rooftop in Queens.

“If you get close enough to the fireworks, you can feel the fireworks rattle your rib cage,” Martinez said.

Teaching assistant for the Discover the World of Communications program at American University, Leila Nasser, enjoys seeing the fireworks. She remembers wanting to see the fireworks when she was younger and suddenly seeing them explode in the sky from behind a building, viewing them from her dad’s shoulders.

This year, she plans on traveling with the summer high school program to the National Mall to see the fireworks and prepares to keep the program attendees safe from any danger.

However, AU Associate Director of Graduate Enrollment Management, Kathy Clowery, doesn’t have a tradition of watching fireworks since her children have left. She enjoys just having a day off of work and being able to sleep in. She plans on spending the day by also going to a friend’s house and won’t miss the work preparing for the big day.

“I’m not going to be painting my house red, white, and blue,” Clowery said since she’ll be going to someone else’s house.

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Students and staff in D.C. are without hometown Independence Day traditions for first time

WASHINGTON—Teenagers at American University’s summer programs are looking forward to celebrating the Fourth of July in the city but some are missing the traditions of the holiday from their hometowns.

For many, July Fourth is not about the birth of the country but rather being around family and celebrating American freedom. For those interviewed on campus this week, including students and staff in the National Student Leadership Conference program, they’re away from those traditions for the first time but still get to celebrate patriotism.

Spencer Cox, 18, from Los Angeles, said Independence Day has become “an overwhelming symbol of American patriotism.”

 

Spencer Cox sits outside of McKinley
Spencer Cox sits outside of McKinley

In Cox’s hometown, he has gone to the local high school to watch the fireworks. A few times Cox would use party poppers to have his own mini fireworks.

“I would have fun with it,” said Cox, who noted the poppers aren’t dangerous.

Cox continued of the holiday, “It isn’t celebrated for what it actually is, which is the founding of our country.”

Rachael Packard’s mother is in the United States Air Force band and gets to sing the National Anthem in their hometown.

“It is kind of weird to see her up there, but it is cool to see her sing up there year after year,” Packard said.

She continued, “It is neat to see everyone so patriotic especially after the big World Cup loss.”

Chris Black’s, 17, household has a big celebration. Black’s family likes to think of it as a birthday party for the birth of the nation.

“We have a party like a birthday party,” Black said. “We eat cake, watch Independence Day.”

Recently Black traveled to the Philippines and witnessed firsthand the differences in terms of freedom, liberty, and democracy.

“We saw how different life is there, they don’t have the same freedoms that we in the United States have,” Black said.

He said that as the Fourth of July nears that we have to value our independence and celebrate our country as it is not like this everywhere and that we are lucky to live in such a great country.

“We have to remember our founding fathers for standing up for what they believed in and founding our great country,” Black said.

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Independence Day receives mixed reviews

WASHINGTON–People of all ages at American University are celebrating the Fourth of July with some excited and others indifferent.

For some people Fourth of July is a big deal. Laura Dmesey, 49, works at the Subway on campus. Dmesey plans on partaking in a cookout with her family in Maryland. Instead of watching fireworks at the National Mall, she’s buying her own to set off in the backyard.

Some people have different ways of celebrating. A student at AU, biting an apple by the front desk in Anderson Hall, said she was excited to crash at her friend’s house in the city. Nineteen-year-old, Barbara Martinez, is a rising sophomore from Northern Virginia and is ready to get off work to tour the Capital and relax in the heat.

Martinez, for example, believes that the Fourth of July is a time to celebrate American pride, nationality and egotism. Others see the great holiday as nothing more than a excuse to party. In fact according to 15-year-old New Jersey native, Ashley Fowler, July Fourth is one of America’s drunkest holidays.

“I feel that it’s like a fun holiday, but I don’t actually find it to be that important,” Fowler said.

Brendan Ryan, 17, was sitting at the Starbucks waiting to get picked up by his family. For him, Fourth of July is just another day. He normally spends his time with his family, watching the fireworks, and eating food. Ryan says that for him, Independence Day is no big deal, just a silly tradition.

Assistant Director of Discover the World of Communication Tony Cohn begs to differ. Cohn, 21, has always thought of our nation’s birthday as a “patriotic holiday,” a time when everyone of every race can get together to celebrate unity and tradition.

Every year Cohn takes the students of DWC to the National Mall, in front of the Lincoln Memorial. There, they do it all: from playing soccer on the grass, to visiting museums.

“It’s a fun Washington D.C. experience,” Cohn said.

Here in D.C. visiting the National Mall seems to be the most popular thing to do, according to those interviewed Wednesday. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the mall each year to watch the closing fireworks. It’s an all day event and many of the monuments close before 5 p.m. That way people have more room to camp out.

“You can’t see the ground because of so many people,” Cohn explained. “There’s so much energy that’s so crazy, it’s indescribable.

You’re celebrating the nation’s birthday at the nation’s capital on the national mall. There’s something so special and so much novelty behind that.”

 

 

 

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The Nation’s Capital and its Fourth of July plans

WASHINGTON — Fourth of July is right around the corner, when people from all over the country gather to celebrate this festivity full of patriotism and pride.

American University employee John Suarez celebrates this holiday by “going to Virginia Beach and being with family.”

John Suarez talkes about his plans for Independence Day.
John Suarez talkes about his plans for Independence Day. Photo by Jacquie Lee

If one is in DC for this holiday the fireworks at the Reflecting Pool are a must see. LaFollette, Tenn., based Pyro Shows provided fireworks for DC’s Fourth of July parade for three years before the recession. Now, they work exclusively in the South on events ranging form New Year’s Day parades to concerts.

Dain Alexander is interviewed about his Fourth of July plans.
Dain Alexander is interviewed about his Fourth of July plans. Photo by Jacquie Lee

“We put a lot of investment into these events, and it’s year-round,” a spokesman from the company said. “You can’t just walk into your local fireworks shop and ask for enough firecrackers to light up a whole city. We get our firecrackers from China, and sometimes they take six months to ship.”

Others decide to have fun, but avoid the crowd, like Dain Alexander: “I’m probably not going downtown, probably staying around Tenleytown.”

Other people choose to stay home and enjoy quality time with their loved ones. Ned MacFadden, a scriptwriting and video production teacher at Discover the World of Communication, says that he will “definitely grill out.” MacFadden remembers many of his Fourth of July experiences. “I used to love the fireworks as a kid,” he says.

Sarah Bieniek, a biology student at American University, has to work, so she decided she’ll keep things simple. “I’ll probably work at the lab here on campus and then probably hang out with friends,” she says.

Sarah Bieniek tells reporters what she will do on the Fourth of July.
Sarah Bieniek tells reporters what she will do on the Fourth of July. Photo by Jacquie Lee

Some people choose to fly to other parts of the country to enjoy and embrace new traditions. Marc Alain Boucicault, a Fulbright Scholar studying for his master’s degree in economics, plans to go to New York City to watch the fireworks there.

“I’m not form the States,” Boucicault says, “but you can enjoy the fireworks no matter where you’re from.”