This weekend we will celebrate the 250th anniversary since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, voted for the independence of the United Colonies by passing the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776. The Declaration of Independence, mainly written by Committee of Five member Thomas Jefferson, was proclaimed on July 4, the date on which the anniversary of independence is observed.
There were no major government-sponsored 50th anniversary observances on July 4, 1826, which was the day that the Founding Fathers and former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died. In 1876, the United States organized nationwide centennial observances centered on the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. In 1926, a Sesquicentennial Exposition was held in Philadelphia, and in 1976, Bicentennial observances were held throughout the country.
I remember the Bicentennial celebration in 1976. I was 11 and living in Placentia, California, 10 minutes from Disneyland.
The year 1976 had lots of patriotic festivities, including the American Freedom Train traveling across the country, the opening of the National Air and Space Museum, and the issuance of special bicentennial quarters.
I thought the bicentennial quarter was the coolest thing ever. I remember flags everywhere, commercials always referring to America being 200 years old, coke cans and products with flags, and t-shirts with Spirit of ’76 on them. Disneyland had America on Parade that lasted over a year. We got 7Up cans that you collected, one for each state, that would make a picture of Uncle Sam if you stacked them all up correctly.
That 4th of July was very special. The vibe was post-Watergate and the Vietnam War was over. The riots and protests were generally over. We could have a day to unite and celebrate. The country had been through some very divisive times for a couple of decades. However, neither the incumbent president, Ford, nor his challenger, Carter, were particularly divisive.
We went to a neighborhood block party. There were grills lined up in the street. At least 15 or so. Lots of picnic tables, too. We stuffed our faces with all kinds of food, Mexican, Japanese, and Filipino. I remember that we kids could drink as much soda as we wanted-it was floating in ice water in plastic tubs. I rarely had soda at home so that was special. My mom made a fruit salad to take (salads are easy). And when it got dark there were fireworks. The bicentennial was a big deal.
This year we will celebrate America’s 250th birthday (Semi-quincentennial or Quarter Millenium) on July 4th, 2026, with festive recipes, red-white-and-blue desserts like a lush cake, and a variety of salads.
Red, White, and Blue Lush no bake dessert
Ingredients
36 vanilla Oreo cookies
6 tbps. butter, melted
1 (3 ounce box) cherry Jello
1 (3 ounce box) blue raspberry Jello
2/3 cups boiling water, divided
2 boxes (3.4 ounce each) vanilla instant pudding
2 ½ cups cold milk
1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 (8 ounce) tubs whipped topping
Red, White, Blue sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
In a food processor crush all the cookies into crumbs. Place the cookies into a large bowl and add the melted butter. Stir until well blended. Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish. Next prepare the fillings. In small bowl, place the cherry gelatin, and add ⅓ cup boiling water. Whisk together until combined and most of the gelatin is dissolved. Repeat with the blue gelatin. In medium bowl, whisk together the dry pudding mixes and milk until combined. Whisk half the pudding mixture into the cherry gelatin and half the pudding mixture into the blue gelatin. In large bowl using an electric mixer combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 container of whipped topping. Spread over cookie crust. Spread the red layer on top of that and the blue layer on top of the red, carefully so you don’t mix them. Use the rest of the whipped topping to top the gelatin layer. Garnish sprinkles. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Avocado Corn Salad
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
3 green onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 poblano peppers, finely diced
5 ears corn on the cob, husks removed and cleaned
½ cup chopped chives
½ cup torn basil
1 lime, juiced (plus more to taste)
1 ripe avocado, cubed
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
Grill the corn on an indoor or outdoor grill until lightly charred. Remove kernels from the cob. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and poblano and sauté for 5-7 minutes until translucent. Add the green onions, and garlic and sauté for 60 seconds. Add corn and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and taste and adjust as needed. Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool slightly. Add the herbs, lime, avocado, salt and pepper to toss to combine. Serve with extra limes if desired. Notes: Grilled Corn is usually done in about 5-10 minutes over high heat. You just want to char it until it’s charred around the entire cob, then remove and slice off the kernels and use as needed. If you prefer to boil your corn: just bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop the cobs in for 5 minutes. Remove after 5 minutes, cool and then slice off the kernels and use as needed.
Sunshine fruit salad
Ingredients
1 can 20oz pineapple tidbits
1 can 11oz mandarin oranges
1 pkg 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding
1 cup quartered strawberries
1 cup sliced bananas
1 cup Blueberries
Directions
First drain pineapple and oranges, reserving liquid. Prepare the pudding with 1 c. of the reserved liquid, whisking until mixture is smooth. In a large bowl combine pineapple, strawberries and oranges. Gently fold in pudding mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Add bananas and blueberries to mixture right before serving.
Watermelon Salad
Ingredients
8 cups cubed seedless watermelon (about 1 medium)
1 small red onion, cut into rings
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts or sliced almonds, toasted
1 cup fresh arugula or baby spinach
1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette
3 tablespoons canola oil
Watermelon slices, optional
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled blue cheese (Or feta cheese)
Directions
In a large bowl, combine watermelon and onion; cover and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes. Just before serving, add macadamia nuts and arugula to watermelon mixture. In a small bowl, whisk vinaigrette and oil; drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.
