Getting Ready for a Star-Spangled Night

With the Fourth of July rapidly approaching, you might be wondering what to wear, what to do, and, my personal favorite question, what to eat?

Shara Konechney is the owner of Piper, a clothing boutique on Slide, and she said red, white and blue apparel has flown off of her shelves.

“Red, white and blue is a must-have right now and we have tons of it,” Konechney said. “We have every type, dresses, cardigans, hair accessories, jewelry, but mostly apparel.”

When walking into Piper, I was surrounded by patriotic fashion, and Konechney said she has received all of her Fourth of July apparel, so customers need to hurry in to get the latest trends.

“Girls are just wearing cute cardigans with cut offs and sandals, or even cowboy boots,” Konechney said. “We are really seeing red, white and blue being big this year.”

Konechney said she thinks patriotism brings people together and sometimes that is looking the part.

“It’s just so heartfelt,” Konechney said. “Being patriotic is what draws people together.”

If you are going to have a cute outfit, you might as well go somewhere and show it off.

Broadway Festivals hosts their annual 4th on Broadway celebration and this year they have some new attractions.

Anna McWilliams is the assistant to the executive director for Broadway Festivals, and she said for the first time there will be a Yankee Doodle Dash and Sparkler Sprint.

“This is the first year we will have a business actually sponsoring the run. This year it is West Texas Endurance,” McWilliams said.

The two runs will be a 5K and a mile run, McWilliams said, and you can learn more about it here.

McWilliams said the parade will be the same as it is each year, with interactive floats and groups, but this year will be led by Uncle Sam.

The street fair starts at 8 on Friday morning and the parade will begin at 9.

“There will be music, food and fun for just about everyone,” McWilliams said, “and there will be seven different music stages.”

When the parade and street fair conclude, McWilliams said, there will be booths, food, and a fireworks show at Mackenzie Park.

“The fireworks will begin around 9 p.m. and the Youth Orchestra of Lubbock will be playing along with them,” McWilliams said. “This event along with the street fair and parade really give a community sense to Lubbock and make it feel like a small town. It’s really just a good place to have fun, spend time with family and friends, and eat good food.”

Speaking of food, my favorite topic, the Fourth of July is a good time to cook up some patriotic concoctions.

One place to get ideas and recipes is Pinterest.

Here are a few that sounded interesting.

1. Fire Cracker Ribs