Small Town Living

When I was a kid I loved Christmas for all the obvious reasons. However, as an adult, the 4th of July has become my favorite holiday. Great weather. No pre-holiday stress. No need to travel. No family obligations. Just BBQ, beer, parades, fireworks and fun. Basically, small town living.

Over the holiday weekend, we hit three different parades and took in a bunch of other activities. I thought I'd share a few photos to give a sense of the simple fun of 4th of July in VT.

The photo above is from the party they had on the green in Worcester following their parade. My favorite activity was the birch pole. Someone had stripped all of the bark off a birch tree and buried it in the field with a $20 bill attached to the top of it. First one to the top got the $20. The hard part was that the pole is very smooth and slippery after stripping the bark and it gets a bit tippy when you get 20 feet in the air.

A bunch of kids tried it first but none of them got more than halfway. Most of the adults then shied away; not wanting to look like fools in front of their families and friends. Then after about 45 minutes this guy took over and cruised right to the top. Must have been a logger or something.

It was just a good example of how you don't need any expensive elaborate games and rides to make for some good entertainment.

Also from the Worcester celebration, do you think the owner of this grease truck regrets his/her 2003 paint job?

That night we caught the Mountaineers game. The team is struggling this year but it doesn't matter. Watching a game at Rec Field on a warm July night is always great.

The next day, we hit the parade in Maple Corner which is tiny but fun since pretty much everyone is in the parade. The ratio of marchers to spectators is about 4:1.

I loved this guy's spirit.

And who needs a fancy float when you have a rolling pin drill team?

There were lots of other activities too such as strawberry picking and hikes at the Nature Center but no photos to show. Just good memories to hang onto to. 4th of July is a great holiday.