10:05 p.m. EDT July 4, 2013 Americans celebrate the nation's 237th birthday with fireworks, barbecues and other summer activities as the Statue of Liberty reopens. Americans celebrated Independence Day Thursday with the reopening of Lady Liberty, one of the USA's premier music festivals, swearing-in ceremonies for brand-new citizens and a hot-dog eating contest.
The day's events also included a somber fireworks tribute to 19 firefighters who died this week while fighting a wildfire near Yarnell, Ariz.
In the nation's capital, members of the military and their families were welcomed to the South Lawn of the White House as President Obama continued a tradition of honoring the nation's armed forces on the Fourth of July.
In a holiday radio address, Obama said the men and women of the military have played "a vital role in the story of our nation" and the history of the globe.
"People in scattered corners of the world are living in peace today, free to write their own futures, because of you," Obama said. "We are grateful for your service and your sacrifice, especially those still serving in harm's way and your families here at home."
Soggy weather put a damper on celebrations in other parts of the country. Fireworks displays and parades were rescheduled or canceled in parts of the Southeast.
Fourth of July fireworks are seen over the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument July 4, 2013 in Washington, D.C.(Photo: Paul J. Richards, AFP/Getty Images)
Groups in Montgomery, Ala., canceled the city's annual Fourth of July parade, and the city's fireworks show was postponed until September. Rain also forced rescheduling of some fireworks shows in Atlanta.
The Peachtree Road Race, a 10-K run that bills itself as the largest road race in the country, went ahead as planned. About 60,000 runners competed in the event in Atlanta. The race sponsor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, reported it was the first time the race had been run in the rain since 1994.
In New York, the Statue of Liberty, which had been closed for repairs since Superstorm Sandy slammed the 12-acre island where it stands, reopened in a ceremony attended by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and federal officials. People waited in lines several blocks long for a boat from Battery Park in Manhattan to Liberty Island.
The opening came with plenty of patriotic fanfare, including a small marching band clad in Revolutionary War-era uniforms, members of Congress and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.
Hope Milne, right, and Steph Biancucci, both of Hamilton, Mass., blow bubbles while waiting the start of the Boston Pops Fourth of July Concert at the Hatch Shell in Boston, July 4, 2013.(Photo: Michael Dwyer, AP)
Bloomberg said the Statue of Liberty was "at the heart of what America is really all about."
"Thank God we have people like the French," he added in a nod to the statue's history as a gift from France in the 1880s.
Wearing a Statue-of-Liberty crown and all smiles, Rick Perkins, 45, of Little Rock was one of the first off the ferry at Liberty Island Thursday morning. Perkins said he, his wife and two children had been planning to come to New York City for at least eight months and were only dimly aware that the Statue of Liberty had been closed all of that time. Having the reopening coincide with their vacation turned out to be perfect timing.
"One of the first things we wanted to do is go to the Statue of Liberty," Perkins said alongside his family, all wearing the green felt crowns. "This is something we've always wanted to see."
In New Orleans, thousands gathered on the banks of the Mississippi River for the opening day of the three-day Essence Festival, which has become a bucket-list event for many since its inception in 1995. This year's roster of nearly 50 acts includes Doug E. Fresh, Beyonce, Jill Scott, Maxwell, New Edition, LL Cool J and Brandy.
In Portsmouth, N.H., officials from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administered the Oath of Allegiance to 125 people from 57 countries at Strawbery Banke Museum.
"You come from diverse cultures, and this will enrich our cultural lives with the music, foods and crafts you bring to your new country," U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., told them.
The Portsmouth ceremony was one of more than 100 such naturalization ceremonies around the country this week during which the nation is welcoming more than 7,800 new citizens, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
At the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York, Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, 29, of San Jose, Calif., slammed down 69 hot dogs to top his personal best of 68 and set a record while winning the event for a seventh straight time.
