SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
A (very early) good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the 4th of July celebrations, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.
My name is Josefine Ganko and I’ll be helming our live blog coverage, featuring reporting from our North America Correspondent Michael Koziol, who is on the ground in Washington DC.
Salute to America, the centrepiece event of the celebrations, is under way on the National Mall in Washington DC, but extreme heat is wreaking havoc on the day’s schedule, leading to the cancellation of the Independence Day Parade.
Here are some of the key events to look out for, with all times in AEST.
- At 3.15am, the Salute to America daytime celebrations will begin with the first of the hourly aircraft flyovers. One of the hourly flyovers will feature the new Air Force One. This also marks when musical acts and performances start.
- At 9am, the official broadcast will begin, featuring various speeches and the Joint Armed Forces Orchestra.
- President Donald Trump is expected to address the crowd at the National Mall late in the evening local time, at 11.45am.
- His speech will be followed by the historic fireworks display at about 12.30pm. It is designed specifically to break the global record for the largest fireworks display in history.
A heatwave gripping Washington DC and much of the United States has forced changes to several daytime July 4 celebrations.
Temperatures are currently at 38 degrees in DC, and are expected to peak at 39 degrees in the mid-afternoon.
The grounds of the Washington Monument were due to open to revellers in the early afternoon local time, but the opening has now been delayed to 5pm (7am AEST). The State Fair taking place on the National Mall will also not open until 5pm.
“Adjustments have been made to the Salute to America celebration to prioritise the safety and comfort of attendees, volunteers, performers, and staff,” organisers said in a statement.
“In light of current heat conditions, Freedom 250, United States Park Police, National Park Service, the United States Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have coordinated closely to adjust event timing and expand cooling resources, water stations, and medical support across the grounds.”
This year’s semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, comes 50 years on from America’s last big birthday party, the 1976 bicentennial.
Those celebrations included a 21-month, 40,000-kilometre rail tour of all 48 mainland US states by the “American Freedom Train”, elaborate firework displays in major US cities and a large gathering of tall ships in New York City on July 4 Independence Day itself.
Some 500,000 people turned out in New York for a parade presided over by the official bicentennial Grand Marshal, Johnny Cash, while Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, made a state visit, joining president Gerald Ford and first lady Betty Ford for a series of official events.
A (very early) good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the 4th of July celebrations, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.
My name is Josefine Ganko and I’ll be helming our live blog coverage, featuring reporting from our North America Correspondent Michael Koziol, who is on the ground in Washington DC.
Salute to America, the centrepiece event of the celebrations, is under way on the National Mall in Washington DC, but extreme heat is wreaking havoc on the day’s schedule, leading to the cancellation of the Independence Day Parade.
Here are some of the key events to look out for, with all times in AEST.
- At 3.15am, the Salute to America daytime celebrations will begin with the first of the hourly aircraft flyovers. One of the hourly flyovers will feature the new Air Force One. This also marks when musical acts and performances start.
- At 9am, the official broadcast will begin, featuring various speeches and the Joint Armed Forces Orchestra.
- President Donald Trump is expected to address the crowd at the National Mall late in the evening local time, at 11.45am.
- His speech will be followed by the historic fireworks display at about 12.30pm. It is designed specifically to break the global record for the largest fireworks display in history.
