We will NOT be spending Independence Day this year with my sister’s family in Sacramento, which has led me to something of a dilemma: How the heck are we going to celebrate the 4th of July here in LA?

I’ve been combing local event sites for lists of fireworks shows and festivals for the Fourth, and there are plenty to choose from. So the hard part is making an actual decision. Do we want to watch the fireworks at the mega-church in Porter Ranch? All the way down to Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles? Or choose between two locations up in Santa Clarita?

It all sounds so… crowded.

I have always preferred the fireworks shows that come at the end of some kind of entertainment. Like at the end of a July 4 game at Dodger Stadium. (Alas, the Dodgers are playing the Rockies this week, so baseball fans in Denver will get to enjoy the show). Or the traditional Independence Day concert at the Hollywood Bowl. This year’s July 4 extravaganza features Josh Groban, who’s OK, I guess. But I would much prefer the July 5 & 6 tributes to Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes. Let’s be honest here: I’m not all that cultured. Just about everything I know about classical music is what I gleaned from watching Bugs Bunny cartoons as a kid. And how meta would it be to see “Long-Haired Hare” at the very venue portrayed there? (Not to mention my all-time favorite, “What’s Opera, Doc?” (You know, the one where Elmer Fudd sings, “Kill the Wabbit, Kill the Wabbit…”)

Do you think there’s any chance I can convince the family to stay in on Thursday?

Me neither.

See you in the crowd.

 

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