The 4th of July Family Picnic

Every 4th of July since I can remember our family has had a huge picnic celebration at my Grandmother's farm. The party starts early in the morning. Aunts, uncles, cousins and friends start to arrive around 10:00 am. There's always a whole spread of donuts and pastries to feed our morning hunger. Grandma has a big pot of coffee brewing along with fresh squeezed orange juice. By noon the party is in full swing. There's typically several lawn game tournaments going on all at once. We always have volleyball, water balloon toss, lawn jarts, horseshoes and croquet. The games are a blast, but the food is even better. Everyone brings a dish (or two) to pass and there are some awesome cooks in my family. We have hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch and a big old pig roast for dinner. There are loads of yummy salads, casseroles and desserts. My cousin Ginny always treats the group to a sundae bar with all the toppings. No one leaves hungry. Around dusk the party gets into full swing with a spectacular fireworks display. In fact, I think our fireworks display is better than that of most small towns. Everyone chips in a few dollars and my cousin Sam takes care of buying all the fireworks. The 4th of July Picnic is definitely one of my favorite traditions of all times. It's the perfect time to catch up with family that I often only see once a year and it's simply a blast!

~Dawn, Rochester, MN