Submitted by: Justine Faasse, General Manager, Nevada
Growing up, the 4th of July created a lot of great family memories and now it’s a day I truly look forward to as it brings my whole family back together, allowing our kids the opportunity to gain the same memories. For us, the day begins with all the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents meeting up. A lot of people come in from out of town to spend the holiday weekend together swimming and having family nights out. For the 4th of July in particular, we spend a good portion of the morning working together to get everything and everyone packed into as few cars as possible for a short road trip to the mountains.
We have been going to the meadows at Lee Canyon for almost 30 years! Once there, we set up the ultimate outdoor BBQ feast while the children run wild and free, hunting out the largest pinecones and rolling down the grassy knoll. The day is spent enjoying the sun and cooler temps in the mountains while playing yard games and sharing stories with our kids about our own times growing up and coming to the meadows every summer break.
Once the sun goes down, we pack up and head back into town where our caravan of cars re-collects at the base of the mountain with an entire view of the Las Vegas valley. While there, we open our tailgates and set out chairs and blankets to enjoy the city view and wait for all the scheduled firework shows, both on and off the strip. At this point, the kids are given sparklers, snaps, snakes, and smoke bombs to entertain themselves with while eating popsicles and other cold treats.
After enjoying the spectacular fireworks from afar, we head home to our original meeting spot where we unpack, snack on leftovers and light off a few more fountain fireworks in the street. And of course, no 4th of July would be complete without that one uncle who becomes the daring pyrotechnic specialist, causing small children to run for cover and giving all the grandmas in the group a few more grey hairs before the night is over!