Happy 4th of July from the Gang at AMT
4th of July
The 4th of July with its fireworks and cookouts and hot summer weather is a holiday best spent with friends and family. Last year, many people were unable to celebrate in the typical fashion due to the pandemic. This year with vaccination rates up and infection rates down, we’re excited to get back to normal, and to commemorate the passage of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our country. The gang here at AMT is looking forward to a long weekend. Here’s what we’re doing.
Justin Hatten: We’ve got a baseball doubleheader on Saturday; then we’re headed to the lake for a cookout and day of boating with friends before finishing it off with a fireworks display! Any 4th of July that falls on a weekend is a good one!
Sutton Dunn: I will be spending the 4th of July on the lake either wakeboarding or skiing. My favorite part about the 4th is spending time with friends/family and eating as many hotdogs/burgers as humanly possible.
Joel Carey: We’ve decided rather than relaxing on the pool deck this 4th of July, we’re going to have Labor Days instead and build an addition to the deck. At least we’ll be able to dive in as needed to ward off heat exhaustion.
Chad Martin: I typically hang out with friends and family over the 4th. It’s usually a weekend full of golfing, grilling, and watching fireworks. All while enjoying plenty of beverages!
Derek Walker: I’m excited to grill and hang out with friends, but the 4th has never been one of my favorite holidays.
Zac Egleston: Since before I was born my family has always had a big blowout party at our family’s lot on Borah Lake. Our family from all over the country comes to town for the weekend, and it’s a nice time to catch up with everyone and have some good food. The chicken is cooked with handmade grills one of my great uncles made back in the day, and they use a family recipe for the sauce on the chicken. It’s very good!
Colby Shawver: I plan on smoking some meat for the 4th this year. I’m not sure what I’m going to smoke yet. We will have the family over and have a swim party. Nothing too crazy, but it should be a good day.
Laine Slover: What I would call my family’s “family reunion” is on the 4th of July. I call it a family reunion because our extended family from around here that we rarely see as well as our family from Texas/Alabama comes to town, and we all have a celebration on good ol’ Borah Lake at my aunt’s place. We normally have lots of food, laughter, fireworks, and of course, beer. It’s always a great time.
Carson Scherer: My wife’s great uncle has 4th of July every year at his house in Geff, Illinois. He spends all year buying fireworks and spends thousands of dollars on them. It is a really good show he puts on.
Jakob Boulb: I plan on smoking some pork, having a fire, and blowing some stuff up.
Bridgett Jensen: For as long as I can remember, my family has done up the 4th of July. From boating and fireworks to swimming and barbecued chicken on the grill, we always spend the day together. This year, it’s going to be a bit smaller and instead of chicken, we’re going to do hamburgers and hotdogs. Either way, we’ll hang out, eat good food, drink a few beers, and have a great time.
Hannah Thomas: This year I am going over to Jakob’s to enjoy drinks and some smoked pork! When I was younger, each year on the 4th of July my mom made us wear matching Old Navy flag t-shirts!
John (Moose) McKinney: This year I’m grilling steaks and having my wife Heather’s mom, Linda, over for a delicious meal!
Erik Jensen: This year we are having a pretty low-key day. I plan to enjoy time with my family, have some cold ones, go to supper at my grandma’s house, and end the day at the fireworks with my daughter, Grace.
Dallas Racklin: My favorite part about the 4th is being able to get together with all of my family out on the lake and just enjoying the day. We usually watch someone shoot fireworks either the weekend of the 4th or the day of the 4th depending on when it lands each year. Big fan of the grilling out too!
Michael McKinney: One of my favorite memories, or rather stories, since I was a bit too young to fully remember it, is from a Fourth of July party when I was about 5 years old. Our family friends used to host a large celebration at their cabin on a nearby lake. We’d cookout, swim, and play games all day and then shoot off a few fireworks at night. Yes, we’re in Illinois, so technically (legally), we should not have been shooting off fireworks. That evening, the local sheriff arrived and one of the adults at the party quickly handed me the bag of fireworks. Being that I was five years old, I guess it would have been a little tricky to arrest me. Thankfully, the sheriff let us off with a warning, and I avoided a trip to the county jail.