post 9

By anders pearson 04 Jul 2000

most years for the fourth of july, i go out to the little town of West Athens, Maine to celebrate. it’s way out in the middle of nowhere; main street just got paved a few years ago. most of the houses are constructed of plywood and tar paper; rusty old automobile chassis on the lawns with plants growing out of them.

for unknown reasons, this location was chosen to host the most bizarre fourth of july celebration in existance. every year, all the aging hippies and bikers in the state converge for a parade and a play. the parade consists mostly of old beater cars that they’ve managed to get running for a few hours spray painted bright colors with lots of drunk stoned people riding on top of them and hanging out the windows and trunk. then there are all the bikers and a few perrenial floats from the various pro-marijuana organizations in the state (NORML, Maine Vocals, etc) and a bunch of people just walking down the street with them.

the parade ends in the local gravel pit where there is a huge brightly painted stage (local artist wally warren is responsible for set construction). after awards are handed out for the most creative floats, the play starts. it’s always about 110 degrees out with no shade and no where to sit. there is no sound system (it’s a gravel pit for god’s sake), so you can barely hear what’s going on onstage. nevertheless, the play is why people come to west athens. it’s totally unprofessional, incoherent and none of them can really act, but it’s brilliant and hilariously irreverent political satire at its finest. it usually features cheese doodles prominently. what more could you ask for.

it’s about the weirdest way possible to experience independence day in the US, but for me, it’s tradition. alas, i’m stuck in NYC this summer so i guess i’ll have to find something else to do. fourth of july usually flags and stuff burning or exploding, right? so i figure i should go burn a flag tonight to get in the holiday spirit…