Why Independence Day has always been my favorite holiday of the year

Some holidays mark the calendar, but others define our fondest memories. In this heartwarming episode, I take you on a nostalgic journey through my favorite holiday, Independence Day.

July 4th has held a special place in my heart since childhood, when the carnival would bring magic and excitement to our little Kentucky town for one amazing week. I vividly recall the thrill of carnival rides like the ferris wheel and tilt-a-whirl, the frustration of trying to knock over those suspiciously heavy milk bottles, and the excitement when my Tennessee cousin would arrive with fireworks that weren't available in Kentucky. These celebrations held special significance – occurring during summer vacation with no school obligations, bringing distant friends back home, and uniting the entire community in celebration.

The tradition continues today, though in evolving ways. From creating new memories at Mid-Ohio IndyCar races to reunions with friends unseen for decades, July 4th remains my favorite time for connection and celebration. This year's highlights included reconnecting with friends after thirty years and celebrating my aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary – proof that the holiday's spirit of togetherness endures.

Beyond festivities, Independence Day serves as an important midpoint for reflection. Have you accomplished the goals you set in January? What's standing in your way? Use this milestone to reassess, recalibrate, and recommit to your aspirations. I'd love to hear about your favorite holiday traditions and the special memories they've created for you. Share your stories with me at dannyneal.com, and until next time, keep exploring, connecting, and discovering the joy in life's journeys.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy
• 0:24 July 4th: My Favorite Holiday
• 1:23 Carnival Memories and Childhood Joys
• 3:19 Recent July 4th Celebrations
• 4:43 Reflections and Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy. I'm your host, dan, and each week we'll embark on a new adventure, discovering memories and life lessons of our incredible guests, from everyday travelers to thrill seekers and everyone in between. This podcast is your front row seat to inspiring stories of passion, resilience and the pursuit of happiness. So buckle up and enjoy the ride. Short drive, as we celebrate the July 4th holiday. What's your favorite holiday? Checked back through the journal, the product my daughter gave me back in 2023. You've heard it before storyworthcom, one of our questions was what was your favorite holiday and why? Well, that was pretty easy for me and pretty quick. July 4th has always been my favorite holiday ever since my childhood, perhaps because it falls during summer, which is my favorite season. I do enjoy the delicious food of Thanksgiving, the family time at Christmas and the relaxed travel opportunities around Labor Day, when there's fewer people on the move. New Year's is always exciting as we look forward to a fresh start. Growing up.

Speaker 1: 1:21

July 4th meant a couple of things. The carnival would come to our small Kentucky town. It was a time when people who had moved away would come back and return and visit family and friends. It was also a time when the whole community came out to enjoy the festivities. It was there for a week. The carnival was fantastic, with thrilling rides, games of chance and some really strange side shows. I didn't see any of those side shows until I was older and we finally ventured into some of them when I was in high school and they certainly had some strange attractions. The games were fun. I remember when I was a small child there was floating ducks you'd pick up and you'd get a prize. There was always knocking over steel milk bottles, which I don't know, maybe those things were super weighted down because they were difficult to knock over. There were shooting hoops and I swear I think those rims were smaller than normal. There was dart throwing at balloons and you'd win a prize and you could always test your strength by ringing the bell. I'm not sure I ever did that, but I enjoyed watching grown men do that. There were rides like the Ferris wheel, the scrambler, the tilt-a-whirl and the zipper and those were all exhilarating. As a small child, you know there was the merry-go-round and the little cars and motorcycles that went in a circle very slowly, but when you're little and four or five years old you think you're a big deal. Another exciting aspect of July 4th was that we were out of school for the summer, so there was no rushing back to class after the holiday. My cousin Stuart and his family would normally visit from Tennessee and they would bring fireworks along. We couldn't buy fireworks in Kentucky in those days, but we would set off what he brought firecrackers, bottle rockets, roman candles and we just had a blast.

Speaker 1: 3:19

In recent years, my favorite racetrack, mid-ohio, which I've attended many, many times Henry and my brother and I camped there for many years when he was small Well, they started hosting the IndyCar race there during July 4th holiday and Linda and I have made that trip twice. We didn't make it this weekend, but we did go up to Dublin and spend the night, get away, and we got to see her cousin Eric and his wife Kim, which is exciting because we've done that now for about three years in a row. We also got to see longtime friends we had not seen, or I had not seen, in probably 30 years, and that was a real treat. And then on the way home we celebrated with Linda's Uncle Mike and Aunt Susan as they celebrated their 50th anniversary. So it was just a fun, fun weekend. We just finished watching the IndyCar race and our favorite driver, scott Dixon, came off with the victory after his teammate, alex Pillow, made a bobble.

Speaker 1: 4:23

July 4th is always the time when we celebrate our nation's independence and the freedoms we have in this country. It's also a great time it's halfway through the year to look back over some goals you set at the beginning of the year. Did you accomplish them? What's holding you back? So dream big and set those goals for the rest of the year and in the meantime, drop me a line. Let me know what your favorite holiday is. Thank you for tuning in to Dan the Road Trip Guy. I hope you enjoyed our journey today and the stories that were shared. If you have any thoughts or questions or stories of your own, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to me anytime. Don't forget to share this podcast with your friends and family and help us to spread the joy of road trips and great conversations. Until next time, keep driving, keep exploring and keep having those amazing conversations. Safe travels and remember you can find me on the internet at dantheroadtripguycom.