We have celebrated July 4 for as long as I can remember. When we were children, our parents took us to the grounds of Washington Irving junior high school in Tarrytown to watch the fireworks once it got dark. An orchestral concert preceded the fireworks, playing all sorts of marching band songs and establishing the mood for this important day in American history. The entire town turned out for the concert and fireworks and did so for many years until the fireworks were discontinued for some reason.
Since I moved to Oslo, I've tried to commemorate July 4th as best I can. My American friend and co-worker Liza and I discovered the American Coordinating Council of Norway (ACCN) in the early 2000s and would meet on the grounds of Frogner Park for a picnic/barbecue at the ACCN celebration of Independence Day. The ACCN used to organize an Independence Day Celebration at Frogner Park which was attended by thousands of people each year. The celebration included concerts, raffles, games, and multiple food stands. The highlight of each year was seeing the classic American cars that were exhibited, thanks to their owners who were rightfully quite proud of them. My husband and I used to enjoy these celebrations, although we were not able to participate each year.
After Liza passed away, I continued attending the celebrations in Frogner Park, and I fully expected that there would be a huge celebration this year since the USA was turning 250 years old. To my surprise, I discovered that there is not to be a celebration at all. It was cancelled this year, which is absolutely surprising because it will be fifty years until the next major milestone (300 years old). There could possibly be a 275 year celebration if that counts as a major milestone. The ACCN posted the following on their Facebook page:
Dear Supporters of ACCN,
After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to postpone this year's Independence Day Celebration at Frogner Park, originally scheduled for June 28.
A combination of factors, including ongoing security concerns and event logistics, led us to conclude that we could not deliver the safe and successful celebration our community deserves.
While we are disappointed not to gather this summer, we remain deeply grateful for the support of our members, volunteers, sponsors, and the broader Oslo-American community who have made this event a cherished tradition for nearly four decades.
We encourage you to stay connected with ACCN as we share updates on future events and opportunities to gather throughout the year. If your contact information has changed, please take a moment to update your details to ensure you receive future announcements.
We look forward to reconnecting with you soon and hope to see many of you at our October community gathering, where we will discuss the future of ACCN and the opportunities ahead.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support.
With gratitude,
ACCN
And just like that, no celebration. They cite ongoing security concerns, and I've got to wonder if that is a major consideration, since we do live in strange times. The USA has become a strange and forbidding country to some, led by someone who seems to have only his best interests at heart. That has created animosity and confusion. Even within the USA, the national celebrations organized by the current administration don't seem to be generating much interest, whereas the individual state celebrations are doing so. There is so much nonsense at the national level that people must deal with on a daily basis. Many of them simply ignore it and the person responsible for it and focus on the local and state activities that are happening. Perhaps warranted. I find it sad that there won't be a celebration in Frogner Park this year, but I can understand it on a pragmatic level. Hopefully there will be other celebrations during the rest of this year.
