My husband and I are looking forward to spending our first Fourth of July in our new home town, Central Point, Ore. Most years find us celebrating the Fourth in Portland, where we both grew up and still have plenty of family on both sides. We would start at Harry’s mom’s in the morning, where the annual neighborhood parade is composed primarily of kids on their tricked-out red-white-and-blue bicycles, trikes and wagons; patriotically bandana-ed pooches escorted by proud owners; and Boy and Girl Scout troops. Then there’s a family barbecue at someone’s house, and we finish the evening with our winetasting friends at a home high in the Portland West Hills with views of two or three major fireworks displays. However, we felt like we really wanted to get the flavor of the holiday here at home this year, so we’re staying put. The morning will start with a pancake breakfast hosted by the Boy Scouts at the Grange Hall. Shortly thereafter the parade will begin with a fighter jet flyover and singing of the National Anthem. I anticipate that, as I always do at these community parades, I’ll get a bit choked up as the color guard of veterans and currently serving military personnel marches by. I’m touched by the generations who left all the familiarity and comfort of their small home towns to serve and sacrifice for the rest of us. After the parade there will be games and vendors and food at the park, along with live music all afternoon long. It promises to be a warm and sunny day, so we may work in a brief siesta at home before we barbecue some burgers and cook up some homemade fries for dinner. Then it’s off to Harry & David Field for the largest fireworks display in the valley. The gates open hours before dusk, but we’re hoping that there’ll still be a spot for our blanket when we arrive around 8:30 or so. Live music will again be offered until the fireworks begin close to 10 pm. I’m still a big kid when it comes to being enthralled by those enormous blooms of color and light straight up over my head in the night sky — hands down the best part of a small-town Fourth of July celebration. I hope you have a grand and wonderful Fourth, and please remember to stand and doff your hat when that color guard marches by. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor