Fireworks. Fourth of July. The Hamptons.

The fireworks displays over the harbors that surround our beautiful Hamptons communities mark the real start of summer—and the best part is that everyone who lives here, or who visits for the summer, can attend. Don’t miss them this weekend. Dan’s Papers does a great listing of all the fireworks celebrations along the forks; click here to choose the one you will attend. Me? Funny enough, our family tends to stay local to East Hampton. We usually light sparklers at the beach and see if any oceanside residents hold their own display (it happens a lot); we save ourselves for the East Hampton Fire Department’s Annual Fireworks at Main Beach. They’ll be held this year on Saturday, August 19. Mark your calendar!

To bring some perspective to these festivities, I thought I’d share a bit of fireworks history, as fireworks were around long before we inhabited these towns.

At some point between 600 and 900 A.D., Chinese alchemists—perhaps hoping to discover an elixir for immortality—mixed together saltpeter (potassium nitrate, then a common kitchen seasoning), charcoal, sulfur, and other ingredients, unwittingly yielding an early form of gunpowder. The Chinese began stuffing the volatile substance into bamboo shoots that were then thrown into the fire to produce a loud blast. Thus, the first fireworks were born.

Fast-forward to John Adams’ letter to his wife Abigail, dated July 3, 1776, the day before the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, in which he wrote that the day would “be the most memorable… in the history of America.” He went on to predict that “it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival… it ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations [a term for fireworks], from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.”

The following year, fireworks displays commemorated the fledgling country’s first anniversary, just as they have each subsequent one. They also light up the skies to mark other events of national importance, including presidential inaugurations going all the way back to that of George Washington, and holidays such as New Year’s Eve.

And so here we are… it’s 2023, another year of lighting the sky in celebration of our country’s birth. Enjoy the weekend.

Oh, and one more thing. The best hot dogs (yes, once a year I serve hot dogs), come from the meat counter at Citarella. Get yours early.