Fourth of July and 1776 - At Home In Darien

As spring turns into summer, many of us turn our attention to family barbecues, days at the beach, and fireworks that light up the sky during Fourth of July celebrations. In some cases, these all go together and for many, signify summer. While the July 4th holiday represents and celebrates the birth of our country and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, some people might be surprised to learn that this historic document wasn’t actually signed by most people until nearly a month later! There are many more interesting facts associated with this important date and to provide a little summer levity . . .

Did you know?

Massachusetts was the first state to declare July 4th an official state holiday. However, it wasn’t until nearly 100 years later when this day was declared a Federal holiday in 1870.
Two of the most famous signers of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, also died on July 4th (and coincidentally, both of these men died on the exact same day – July 4, 1826!).
There are over 330 million people currently living in the United States, but in 1776, there were only 2.5 million.
There is over $1 billion spent each year on fireworks.
The Liberty Bell, which of course is famously cracked and resides permanently in Philadelphia, continues to be tapped 13 times each July 4th by descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, as a way to continue to honor the original 13 colonies in the United States.

And did you also know . . . that since the founding of our country in 1776, the United States has had 27 different versions of the U.S. flag? For your next barbecue or during a 4th of July celebration, impress your family or friends by sharing some of the following facts about the 27 different flag iterations we have had throughout our history, including:

Stars on the original 13-star flag represented the former 13 British colonies.
Subsequent changes to the United States flag have been driven by the admission of new states into the Union.
9 of the 27 flags only flew for about a year.
The last change to the flag occurred in 1960, when Hawaii was added as our 50th state. Prior to this period (63 years and counting), the longest time between changes to the flag was 47 years (between the 25th change when New Mexico and Arizona were added as states in 1912, to the 26th change when Alaska was added as a state in 1959).
Future changes are possible should American-owned territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands be admitted as states.

Darien continues to celebrate July 4th each year in different ways, and will again be offering several special events:

Darien Declaration Day Ceremony – Tuesday, July 4th at 9:30 a.m. in the Darien High School Courtyard. This twenty-five-minute event will include selected readings from the Declaration of Independence, recognition of Darien students currently attending military academies and university ROTC programs, naming of Revolutionary War soldiers from what is now Darien, formerly Middlesex Parish and patriotic music. The Declaration Day Ceremony is organized by the Darien Monuments and Ceremonies Commission. Seating will be provided.

Push-n-Pull Parade – In its 14th year, the parade starts at 10:30 a.m. on July 4th at Darien High School and features children and parents walking or using non-motorized devices to march from Darien High School to Darien VFW Post 6933.

Darien Town Fireworks – Friday, July 14th at Darien High School. Rain date is Saturday, July 15th.

Darien seniors are encouraged to reach out to At Home In Darien for rides to any of the town’s July 4th celebrations, or for any other social or medical transportation need. Please call us with any questions at (203) 655-2227, or visit us at https://www.athomeindarien.org if you need any additional information regarding the unique services and support we provide on behalf of Darien seniors.