As Wiscasset prepares to celebrate America’s 236th birthday with “Small Town Traditions” as its theme, a full day of activities are being planned.

Along with the excitement of the parade, picnics, fireworks and games, it is also a perfect time to remember those who gave their lives to defend our freedoms. Despite the problems facing our country, let us remember we are the greatest nation in the world, and on the Fourth of July we celebrate the birth of those freedoms.

Since the first Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, it has been a tradi-tion to light up the skies with fireworks to cele-brate the occasion. According to the history of the first celebration of our country’s independence, the founding fathers requested 13 cannon blasts to honor the 13 independent colonies of the United States of America.

Wiscasset has kept up that tradition and many other traditions over the years. When asked what people remember about the Fourth of July in Wiscasset, old and young alike say the fireworks.

Former Wiscasset selectman Ben Rines said when he was young he remembers his parents putting him and his six siblings in back of the old truck and going to the ball field to watch the fireworks over the Sheepscot River. He also said another family tradition was to have fresh peas from his grandfather Fred Fulton’s garden. “It wouldn’t the fourth without fresh peas,” Rines said.

He remembers, as a boy, the concern around town on the fourth was the old ships Luther Little and the Hesper, would catch on fire from the fireworks.

John and Gertrude Blagdon have been selected to be the grand marshals of this year’s parade. Their family tradition was to get together at the home of Marjorie Blagdon Strout and Sewall Strout on Federal Street, just across from the old cemetery.

According to Bonnie Blagdon, the family gath-ered every year on the Fourth of July to watch the parade, have a cookout, play games and wait for the fireworks. “It was something we all looked forward to every year,” she said.

This year’s Fourth of July Committee has at-tempted to bring back some of the fun of the early years of our country, such as the old games of bean toss, a pie eating contest, tug-of-war, sack races and much more.

This year’s celebration will include events for all ages, with the traditional parade beginning at 10 a.m. The route will follow Churchill to Hooper to Federal to Route 1 to Water Street.

The Flag Raising Ceremony will follow the pa-rade at the Waterfront/Recreational Pier at 11 a.m., which will be lead by Wiscasset American Legion Post Commander James Seigars.

The afternoon events begin at 3 p.m. with a kayak tour of Wiscasset Harbor, Yacht Club boat parade, cannons to be shot over the river, art show and sale, a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Wiscasset Waterville, and Farmington rail car at 5 p.m., antique car show, classic rock band, fireworks and more.