What You Don't Know About The 4th of July

The Fourth of July commemorates the historical day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress which set our 13 original colonies into one sovereign nation.  It also is the day where many Americans celebrate our country’s birthday and get their party on by marking it with flag rendering, parades, fireworks and barbecues.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 1776, our nation consisted of roughly 2.5 million people whereas today we are a robust 311.7 million strong.   And nearly 81 million of our population claims to have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year.  More than likely many of these events took place on the 4^th of July and invariably the festivities included a hot dog or two. 

Per the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council (yep you heard me correctly, this really exists and naturally, is located in D.C.), on Independence Day, Americans will consume more than 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. five times over.  Their website (www.hot-dog.org) also states that “the summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day continue to make up the ‘hot dog season.’  During hot dog season, Americans typically ingest 7 billion hot dogs or 818 hot dogs every second.  Hot dog producers estimate that an average of 38 percent or $614 million of the total number of hot dogs are sold during this time.  Ten percent of annual retail hot dog sales occur during July, which is designated as National Hot Dog Month.”

Even though hot dogs are popular across the country, there are consumption differences by region.  Residents of the South and Midwest, primarily those with larger households and made up of older children, tend to be the highest consumers of “refrigerated packaged meat products” (I’m guessing the main purpose of the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council is to come up with such euphemisms.) Specifically, Los Angeles residents eat the most hot dogs, followed closely by NYC and San Antonio/Corpus Christi, TX.   Curiously, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport sells six times more hot dogs, 725,000 more than Los Angeles International Airport and LaGuardia (NYC) Airport, combined.  Ballparks are another big distributor with nearly 21.5 million sold last year.  And apparently it’s also patriotic to eat hot dogs since service members around the world put away roughly 2.4 million last year.

If you’re partial to a pork hot dog, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture, chances are it comes from a pig in Iowa as the Hawkeye State represents one-fourth of the nation’s hogs and pigs.  North Carolina and Minnesota follow closely with their swine populations.  Most beef hot dogs (and also steaks and burgers) come from Texas which accounts for one-sixth or 6.8 billion pounds of the total production of cattle and calves.  Nebraska and Kansas are also big suppliers of beef products. 

No Fourth of July picnic is complete without lots of delicious sides.  36% of our nation’s dry edible beans that transform into baked beans get their start in North Dakota.  That buttery ear of corn-on-the-cob probably began life on a stalk in California, Florida, Georgia, New York or Washington, which together account for 68% of the nationally-produced sweet corn.  And don’t forget the potato chips and potato salad…the spuds that made them more than likely hail from either Idaho or the state of Washington since nearly half are produced there.  Florida leads the nation in watermelon production but California, Georgia and Texas also are reigning suppliers of the popular and succulent summer fruit.  Lettuce for the burger (or side salad) most likely came from California which produces more than three-fourths of all that leafy vegetable in the U.S.  The plump tomatoes that accompany the lettuce are probably from California, too, or Florida, which, combined, provide 71% of the fresh U.S. tomato market.

But what’s a Fourth of July picnic without fireworks?  Living in the D.C. area, we are lucky to have so many viewing options.  The grand-daddy of them all of course involves partaking of the fireworks on the National Mall in downtown D.C. or from the base of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington.  But for those desiring a more subdued celebration, in addition to local showings at Fort Belvoir or Mount Vernon Estate, there is also the option of “consumer fireworks” at home.   Each state has its own policies and laws concerning consumer fireworks. 

Some states have a complete ban on all consumer fireworks and these states are:  Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.  While other states, to include Virginia, allow some or all types of consumer fireworks.  Per the Consumer Product Safety Commission and NBC 4 Washington website, even within the state of VA and within our respective counties, regulations differ.  But for those in Fairfax County, “any firework that explodes, emits a flame or sparks higher than 12 feet or performs as a projectile is prohibited by the Fairfax County Fire Prevention Code.  A permit is required for the sale of all fireworks and these permits are only valid from June 1 to July 15 of each year.”  Ah-ha, that’s why all of the firework trailers on Route 1 are in and out of here so quickly…totally makes sense now.

Furthermore, “many fireworks are not available in Northern Virginia because they are illegal.  Firecrackers, cherry bombs and skyrockets are just a few examples of fireworks which may be purchased in other areas but are illegal here.  Since even the possession of unapproved fireworks is prohibited in Fairfax County, such fireworks will be confiscated and the person possessing them can be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor.  This carries a maximum penalty of $2,500 fine or 1 year on jail.”

Think of how many hot dogs that could buy or prevent you from grilling up during hot dog season?!?  So, be safe everyone and have fun on the 4^th.  Anyone have any special Independence Day plans or traditions they care to share?  And as for you America, Happiest of Birthdays…235 sure looks good on you!