displayed at the First United Methodist Church on 21st Avenue. Standing in front of those flags has a way of making history feel real. You start thinking about how many people, across generations, stood beneath those same symbols during moments that shaped the country. The Golf Cart Parade Everyone Waits For On the morning of July 4, you can usually hear the golf carts before you see them. People start gathering early along the streets while carts roll by covered in flags, pool noodles, tinsel and whatever decorations families could dig out of the garage the night before. Some look incredibly put together. Others clearly became a last-minute project after dinner the night before. The parade runs from 3rd Avenue through 10th Avenue from 9 to 11 a.m. It’s simple. It’s familiar. It’s one of those traditions that reminds you how special small beach towns can be. Fireworks over Front Beach And then there’s the moment everyone waits for all day. The fireworks display at Front Beach. This year’s fireworks celebration will begin July 4 after dark in the Front Beach area, sponsored by the City of Isle of Palms. The beach between 21st Avenue and Coconut Joe’s will close at 6:30 p.m. so crews can get everything set up safely, but there will still be plenty of places nearby to watch. For a couple minutes, thousands of people are all sitting there together looking at the same sky, and this year, with the country turning 250, it’ll probably hit a little differently. A Celebration that Feels Bigger than Fireworks What makes this year’s Fourth of July on the Isle of Palms feel so meaningful isn’t just the fireworks or the decorations. It’s the people behind all of it. The volunteers placing dozens of flags in the summer heat. Families spending evenings decorating golf carts together. Veterans quietly stopping along Hamlin Creek to observe the flags. Neighbors waving at one another during the parade. Two hundred and fifty years later, America is still evolving. Still learning. Still imperfect. Still becoming. But on the Isle of Palms this summer, there’s something comforting about seeing an entire community come together to celebrate not just the country’s history, but each other too. 13 IslandVibesIOP.com COMMUNITY 250Years Later, the Fourth of July, cont. From Page 12 Wellness by the Sea Regenerative Medicine & Aesthetics Board-certified medical professionals that offer personalized state-of-the-art treatments for face & body. WE DESIGN A PLAN FOR YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS. TRUST THE EXPERTS. Lasers, toxins, facials, weight loss and more. REQUEST YOUR PERSONALIZED CONSULTATION IN A SERENE ENVIRONMENT. 843.894.0955 YoungerYoustudio.com 1022 Carolina Blvd. Isle of Palms, SC
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