Happy 250th!

Hello and welcome to an Independence Day Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is July 4th. Happy 250th, America!

Today's the big day: the celebration of 250 years as united states. I used to poo-poo birthdays, but then I turned 50 and realized that celebration of major milestones and life events is a good thing. So, let's throw the confetti, toot the kazoos and wave our banners.

WAKWIR* 1.0 just phoned in from Philadelphia to report on his successful trip to see Big Boy, the world's largest operating steam locomotive he mentioned in his last blog post. "It's HUGE." (Emphasis on the capital letters.) "It's so interesting because usually you think of trains like a passenger or a freight train, but this was neither. It's a heritage train part of the Union Pacific heritage department. Its purpose is to celebrate the history of that specific train."

The best part of seeing it with his own eyeballs was that it was REAL. "I've seen so many pictures of it on Instagram the last few years," he said. So when the opportunity to see it in person in Philly came up - the opportunity sweetened by free admission - well, it was a veritable, no-joke, literal once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. His favorite part was seeing the whole train. "It was a long train, Mom. And so many cars." They even had a car that was once displayed in Duluth that he recognized from his youth, when his grandma took him to check it out.

While watching the World Cup yesterday on TV, I saw a news article about the Liberty Bell, a docent dusting it lovingly. I'm adding that to my list as well. In the meantime, I can enjoy the Bell's Live Cam and watch while others appreciate its historic marvel.

Philly is the heart of the 250th celebration, so it's with great sadness I share that, due to the intense heat, today's Independence Day parade had to be cancelled. Even the Great State Fair closed yesterday due to the scorching triple-digit temps. Despite the letdown, our College Kid 3.0 has been prowling about the town taking in the sights, such as Betsy Ross' house, which he admits he didn't actually go in, but stopped and took a gander and a pic "because it's part of history." I've started planning my own Philly trip and I'll add this to the list. 

Doing some fact-checking on the lady I'd heard about every year of elementary school, I learned today that she was a Philly upholsterer whose expertise and skill, according to her family, were employed to create the first American flag. "The story that Betsy Ross made and helped design the American flag has been disseminated since her grandson William Canby presented his paper “The History of the Flag of the United States” to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 1870. According to Canby’s account, his grandmother not only made the first Stars and Stripes at George Washington’s behest but also helped design it. Canby based his paper on stories that he had heard from family members, along with his own memories of his grandmother’s tales of her involvement in making flags." (Source)

In Warroad, we look forward to our own parade with a comfortable 75 degrees and 24% chance of rain. One kid will be in the marching band and the other on the Newsies Jr float (Next week, July 7 - 10! Get tickets here!) This musical is about the Newsboys strike of 1899. Warroad is celebrating its 125th birthday. I hope there's cake.

Dave with Big Boy

Betsy Ross' house

 Wannaskan Almanac Kid Writer-in-Residence (1.0)