NEW YORK: Americans are celebrating their country's birthday Tuesday with big-time fireworks, small-town parades and the quirky spectacle of competitive hot dog eating, marking a day of shared traditions in a nation that has grappled with divides this past year.In New York, throngs are expected to watch the annual Macy's fireworks blowout and the Nathan's Famous frankfurter-chomping contest on Coney Island on July Fourth. In Washington , President Donald Trump is observing his first Independence Day in office by hosting a White House picnic for military families, followed by a fireworks viewing event for military families and staffers.In Boston, one of 14 original copies of the Declaration of Independence will be displayed at a museum, and hundreds of thousands of people are expected at the city's fireworks show. And in an era of concerns about security, the Independence Day celebrations are mixed with precautions.The New York Police Department planned to station 100 vehicles to block intersections and 20 sand-filled sanitation trucks to fortify viewing areas for the Macy's fireworks show. Heavily armed counterterrorism units will mingle among spectators, officers will have portable radiation detection devices and bomb-sniffing dogs, and officers will be stationed on rooftops to look out for any sign of trouble.Boston police also plan to put trucks and other heavy equipment near the celebration there. Some 25 organizations have since signed up to provide floats or marchers.

Source: Times of India July 04, 2017 16:47 UTC