We all celebrate the Fourth of July in different ways. But largely, America continues to celebrate the Fourth the way John Adams said it should be celebrated — with fireworks, parades and similar patriotic events.
The Fourth celebrations really extend for a week. We hope you have a wonderful Fourth. Perhaps you’ll be among the 500,000 to 700,000 people on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol July 4 for the annual Fourth of July concert and fireworks. Or maybe you’ll be among the millions more will watch the event on PBS.
Out in Western Maryland on Saturday something like 35,000 people will attend an outdoor concert featuring the Maryland Symphony Orchestra at Antietam Battlefield, site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.
On Tuesday (7/2) , in Laurel, Md., the Budweiser Clydesdales delivered two Folds of Honor scholarships to the family of Sergeant First Class Floyd D. Lake, who died in Baghdad, Iraq., while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007.
The next day (7/3), the Clydesdales journeyed to Fort Meade, Md., where Budweiser was the title sponsor of the Budweiser Red, White & Blue Celebration, one of a series of events Budweiser has hosted at military bases across the country as part of its “Red White & Blue” summer program. We’ll be at Fort Meade for the show.
Up to $1 million in proceeds from sales of Budweiser will be donated to Folds of Honor Foundation, in addition to $500,000 committed by Anheuser-Busch Foundation at the program’s kickoff.
For the event at Fort Meade, Budweiser brought national country music stars, including Jerrod Niemann, the Clydesdales and Budweiser NASCAR assets to the historic military post.The event closes at 7 p.m. with a performance by the Army Field Band’s Jazz Ambassadors.
If anyone wonders why Carlos Brito quickly said he was keeping the Clydesdales after InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch, here’s the answer: They are powerful, but not in-your-face marketing tools for A-B.
Check out these photos from the delivery of the Folds of Honor checks:
Budweiser Clydesales deliver two Folds of Honor scholarships in Laurel, Md.
Neal Katcef, left, local Anheuser-Busch wholesaler, Major Dan Rooney, second from right, Folds of Honor Foundation, and Rocky Sickmann, right, director of military sales for Anheuser-Busch, present two Folds of Honor Scholarships to Linda Lake, second from left, Tuesday, July 2, 2013, in Laurel, Md.
Linda Lake of Laurel, MD, rides the Budweiser Clydesdale hitch after accepting two Folds of Honor scholarships on behalf of her son and daughter. Since 2010, Budweiser has raised more than $5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation to provide educational scholarships to family members of military killed or disabled in action. (Nick Wass/AP Images for Anheuser-Busch)