Every year, as soon as June ends, it is almost impossible to believe that a whole two months of summer have already slipped by, nearly as fast as a winning Penn State football season. Of course, the loss of the first official month of summer is mourned, but then we remember that the Fourth of July is only days away. The Fourth of July is a time of celebrating independence and autonomy, and no one knows how to celebrate this better than Penn State students. The holiday is also about celebrating tradition. The day is celebrated with, hot dogs, hamburgers and a beer or two from any bottle sporting an American flag, but do we take the rules of tradition too far? Do we stop the holiday from growing and evolving by practicing the same routine year after year with no diversity? Not to fear, Valley has complied a list of new traditions for Penn Staters to have the most epic July 4th ever.
Make your party Penn State themed
Penn State students and alumni are lucky enough to have the most convenient colors when it comes to this holiday. All that is needed to decorate for a fabulous Fourth party is the massive amount of Penn State paraphernalia that any Penn Stater has around the house along with a dash of bright American red thrown around. Penn State cooking supplies and dishware are also available and are as practical as they are decorative.
Make your drinking games festive
It seems that all Penn State grads have a bonus diploma in addition to the one they earned in their classes. This diploma shows that they have completed all requirements for the party drinking game degree. While we like to stick to beer pong, stump and corn hole at our tailgates, this year introduce some new games at your Fourth of July party and wow the crowd with your level of festivity. One game Penn Staters don’t see often is drunk Jenga, which is playing Jenga but drinking every time you successfully pull a block out. For the Fourth of July, write something different on each block relating to the holiday or America in general. The message can be something like “Name the year the Declaration of Independence was signed or take a shot” or it can be a dare like “Introduce yourself as Uncle Sam for the rest of the night or take three shots.” Of course, it is inevitable that at some point in the night, a pong tournament will begin. To be fair, students have to make sure that over the summer their skills don’t get rusty and they don’t lose their perfect arch, right? But a game of pong doesn’t mean that your party goes from festive to frat is five seconds. With a quick swap of formation and some blue and white cups to go with the classic red cup, you have yourself an American flag pong game.
Make your food festive
There are tons of ways to bring festivity to the table and shove some Fourth of July cheer down your guests’ throats. For example, a fruit salad consisting of red berries like raspberries and strawberries, blueberries, and some coconut on top is festive and refreshing. Unique flag-colored drinks are also always a huge hit. Make a layered red, white and blue (more like red, white, and booze) drink with only grenadine syrup, clear vodka, and blue curacao.
However you celebrate your Fourth of July, make sure to enjoy it responsibly! Let’s go State!
Valley does not support underage drinking.
