Trans Zen Dental

One of my favorite times of year is celebrating the 4th of July. What could be better than warm weather, parades, fireworks, watermelon seed spitting contests, and root beer floats? In my home town of Greendale, Wisconsin, the 4th of July is more than a paid holiday, it’s a festival!


A typical 4th of July in Greendale actually begins two days prior, when the Greendale Lion’s club sets up their tents and corn cob roasters. These tents add color to downtown Greendale and cause the entire village to smell of barbeque and cotton candy. The age 60 + gentlemen spend their entire Independence day weekend peeling corn, selling beer tickets, and grilling up authentic Milwaukee brats (with sauerkraut, of course). During the day, kids can purchase cheap tickets and enjoy carnival rides and games. The Greendale High School Marching Band always has their booth set up, and for about a dollar, you can try your hand at winning a goldfish. The coffee shops, bakeries, and Ricardo’s famous pizza shop are open all day and all night for passer bys.


The morning of the 4th, people are out before the sun is up, setting out blankets and lawn chairs to reserve their spot for the parade. The marching band is warming up and the floats are getting their finishing touches at the Southridge Mall parking lot. My uncle is captain of the Greendale Fire Department, and always rides first on the fire engine, followed by police, Clydesdale Horses, cheerleaders, baton twirlers, clowns, accordion bands, and many more.


Afterwards, everyone heads over to the now-crowded Ferches Malt Shoppe for a serving of their famous frozen custard. The rest of the day is spent with friends, family, and the largest barbeque you can get your hands on. At night, cover bands perform live down at the village in large beer tents. The Greendale fireworks show usually starts around 9:00, lasts for about 10 minutes, and is quickly followed by the cover bands starting up again. It’s a huge family event and a community spectacle.


If small town Greendale doesn’t suit your fancy, you can head down to Lake Michigan’s lake front and enjoy 13 stages of live music, beer, margaritas, boat rides, BINGO, carnival rides, and some of Milwaukee’s best food at Summerfest. Their Big Bang fireworks show, televised every year, is one of the many breathtaking features during the summer in Milwaukee, and the festival runs for 10 days, being named the world’s largest music festival.


But in all seriousness, the 4th of July is celebrated not to keep fireworks shops in business, but to celebrate the birth and successes of our country. Through all of the world wars, the gold rush, “Black Friday”, the Great Depression, the flappers of the 20’s, alcohol prohibition, the death of Elvis Presley, Cuban Missile Crisis, hippies of the 60’s, the Watergate Scandal, Saturday Night Fever, the Challenger, the 1996 Summer Olympics, and everything in between, our stars and stripes have stood for our freedom. Despite what we may hear about on the news, we put this all aside for one day to celebrate our nation’s history and future.


Whether you are planning on barbequing up some brats, marching in a parade, or simply spending your holiday with friends and family, we wish you a happy and safe Fourth of July.






















This is a picture of historic downtown Greendale, also known as "the village". This 4th of July, the village will be packed with people celebrating our nation's Independence.

























This is my Uncle Russy, captain of the Greendale Fire Department. He always rides in the first engine, leading the parade along with the police department. When I was a child, I used to ride on the engine with him and throw candy to the parade-goers. Fun fact: my sister was born in Greendale Ambulance 404.
























My younger brother, Robert marching with the high school band. They have beautiful band uniforms but don't wear them for the parades because it will be around 90 degrees and 60% humidity when they are marching. Fun fact: me, my two sisters, and my brother all marched for Greendale High School's band.

















My dad, my sister Elizabeth, and my mom waiting for the parade to start. This is a rare sight in that: 1. Neither myself nor my sister were actually in the parade (we are usually either with the band marching or singing with the community theater) 2. my grandpa wasn't in the picture for some reason, and he's usually sitting with us with a beer in his hand 3. my parents didn't bring their dogs this time.