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Fourth of July Party Ideas
Red, White and Blue Fourth of July Party
 What would the Fourth of July be without the colors of
the American flag? Red, white and blue are patriotic and
hold special meaning for our citizens, especially on
Independence Day. A red, white and blue theme party is
easy to put together and is the perfect way to celebrate
this fun summer holiday.
Here are some tips that can help you start planning your
party:
Invitations
Buy red, white and blue invitations from a stationery
store or make your own. Because a Fourth of July party is
usually quite casual, telephone and email invites can
also suffice. Ask your guests to honor your theme by
dressing in red, white and blue clothing. Send out
invitations a few weeks ahead of time, and let guests
know whether your party is going to be indoors or out so
they can dress and plan accordingly. If you have a pool
or water will be involved, include this on the invites so
guests can wear swimsuits under their clothing.
Decorations
Big bunches of red, white and blue balloons are the
perfect decorations. If you want something a bit formal,
you can decorate the tables with silk floral arrangements
in your colors of choice. If your party is going to be
held in the evening, string red, white and blue lights
outside to provide some illumination.
Some ideas do-it-yourself decorations are also very
simple and easy-to-make. Kids can make
Fourth of July Paper Chain Decorations and you can
put together some
Strip-Quilted Red, White & Blue Stars to hang from
wherever you please. The stars can also be used as
placemats on your table.
Menu
Your menu can even adhere to the color scheme. For your
main dish, go for traditional cookout fare that can be
made outdoors on a grill like burgers, hot dogs, chicken,
steak, fish and grilled vegetables. Potato salad,
macaroni salad, watermelon slices and fresh vegetables
and fruits are also great. Dessert and beverages are fun
and can really work with your patriotic colors. Serve red
and blue punch and look in some bartender recipe books
for fun red, white and blue cocktails. For dessert, try a
vanilla cheesecake in a rectangle shaped pan with
strawberries and blueberries simulating the American
flag. Or, serve angel food cake cups topped with whipped
cream, strawberries and blueberries. Layered gelatin
desserts with red gelatin, blue gelatin and white whipped
cream can also work.
Games and Activities
You'll find no shortage of fun games and activities. If
you have a pool, swimming is a great idea. If not, host a
squirt gun fight or turn on the sprinklers and coax
guests to run through. Have a fireworks display after
dark or at least hand out red, white and blue sparklers
for guests to wave around. Old-fashioned games like gunny
sack races and three legged races are also traditional
and fun.
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