Best wishes for a great July 4th weekend

july_4th-whatitsaboutWhile we’re hoping that your long July 4th weekend can be spent at one of the 11 Distinctive Inns of New England, we know that for some July 4th means backyard picnics and community fireworks displays!  As Tropical Storm Arthur bears down on the Coastal parts of DINEcountry, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that no matter if you’re inside or outside, your July 4th weekend will be sunny, bright, red, white and blue and spent with those you love.

For too many of these special day we lose sight of the history behind the holiday.  Commercial interests have superceded the true meaning of holidays like Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day and more.  In an effort to promote more than the hot dogs, popsicles and fireworks of July 4th or Indepedence Day, here’s a little history primer and insight into the importance of this holiday, a celebration of our independence from which it got its name.

July 4th has only been a federal holiday in the U.S.  since 1941, yet the tradition of Independence Day celebrations dates back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83). In June of 1776, representatives of the thirteen colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle drafted and considered a resolution that declared their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of U.S.  independence,  and then two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, the historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson that made that it official. From 1776 until today, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence.

July4paradeMore than just a day off of work, this holiday is celebrated with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to  family gatherings and barbecues, but we should never lose sight of the fact that the holiday also celebrates the true birth of our country. And this year, July 4th also marks another important anniversary –  the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner. According to the Washington Post, in the summer of 1814 poet Francis Scott Kay penned the words to a tune that was recycled from an old English tavern song  as he watched the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in the summer of 1814. The melody suddenly came to him again, along with new words, Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light.

Whether you spend your July 4th enjoying a relaxing romantic getaway at a DINE inn or in your backyard, we hope that the holiday is filled with plenty of food, fun and nostolgia. Here’s to a great July 4th weekend from your friends at Distinctive Inns of New England.

July4thGreetings