Flags, fireworks and apple pie. They are assumed, indelible, famous and famously recognized and celebrated symbols of classic Americana. Oh, say can you see (and oooh and aaah) the Sarasota fireworks? Oh, say can you taste the mouth-watering, juicy and crust-from-the-heavens apple pie?

And look at all those star spangled banners unfurled and flapping in the balmy Sarasota breeze. Daring to question iconic 4th of July Americana could spark cries of treason or getting burned at the stake, but aside from star spangled banners whose legitimately American broad stripes and bright stars seem to wave much more around the 4th of July than the rest of the year and the big 238th birthday party, pieces of the Americana myth surrounding the 4th of July (as routinely happen to other old and worn traditions) are disappearing, subtly changing or getting harmlessly and lovably updated. Just like the goateed, top-hatted and finger-pointing Uncle Sam. He used to be everywhere but has faded to being a rare and strange-looking antique.

Pending decent weather, more than 30,000 ooh’ers and aah’ers could flock and squat on Siesta Key (at Bayfront Park, Island Park, along Crescent Beach, from a boat in the Gulf or floating on the Intracoastal) to be dazzled by this year’s 24th annual, brilliant and orchestrated Sarasota 4th of July Fireworks Display.

We still love to fly the flags, even on the other 364 days. The 4th of July is just an extra good reason for the inspiring visual of wonderfully overdoing it with all shapes and sizes of star spangled banners—on Osprey front lawns, attached to car windows, in stores, on bicycle handle bars and spiked into traffic islands up and down Tamiami. Now and then some enterprising (and manure-disturbing) media digger will re-hash the shocker that some toy flags are Made in China, Made in India or Made in Timbuktu. The exposer usually triggers about three minutes of outrage about human rights, factory conditions and hourly wages in Timbuktu. Hey, when it comes to the big business that is the 4th of July, things happen. Fireworks? The rockets and their red glare? The bombs bursting in air? Nice but not Americana and not so much limited to the 4th of July, especially for those zany funsters who don’t really care about calendar-designated special days. The same people who still turn on Christmas lights in February also can’t resist lighting little fuses and the ka-boom cheap thrill of scaring the neighbors with rogue, no-particular-reason fireworks in April or November.

 At the risk of party-pooping treason and despite the gung-ho, post-Declaration of Independence suggestion from (second President) John Adams about “celebrating with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other,” fireworks are absolutely and undisputedly imported and adopted Americana. Although the 12th century Chinese inventors never imagined Sarasota’s sprawling, Sky King Fireworks store and other year-round local places to get stashes of fireworks, John Adams never expected illumination best-sellers to be Sky Lanterns, Waterfalls, the 24 Karat Sprinkler Cake, Neon Cyber Candles, Mad Mels, Juggy Joes and 500 Gram Repeaters. Regardless, the 4th of July Suncoast crowds love it. Pending decent weather, more than 30,000 ooh’ers and aah’ers could flock and squat on Siesta Key (at Bayfront Park, Island Park, along Crescent Beach, from a boat in the Gulf or floating on the Intracoastal) to be dazzled by this year’s 24th annual, brilliant and orchestrated Sarasota 4th of July Fireworks Display and Party blasting-off at 9ish from just north of the volleyball courts. There’s also lots of jockeying for sandy beach space and lawn in the Venice area, anywhere along Venice and Nokomis Beach, from the Gulf and packing the jetty grass and asphalt, shooting into the sky from the south jetty.

Food and overdoing food is a legitimately big part of the 4th of July tradition. There’s solid consensus that barbecued hot dogs and burgers are proudly, classically and undisputedly Americana. But the menu is changing.  From Englewood to Osprey and Longboat Key, it has been 238 years of same old, same old. So 4th of July food choices are expanding the patriotically delicious tradition to include the new Americana like cold noodle salad, ribs dripping with sauce, hot wings, nachos and salsa, tubs of guacamole and a chilled supply of beer and fruity coolers.

Sadly, the luscious and fabulously flaky crust apple pie is fading. Despite the patriotic cliché about “American as apple pie,” apples and baking with apples is from the ancient Romans, the ancient Brits and not even slightly Americana. Or maybe it’s because there are so many new, trendier and usually more sugary dessert choices like brightly decorated cupcakes, cheesecakes and (especially in Florida) Key Lime Pie. So go ahead, wave those flags and ogle the fireworks, wherever they’re made. Have an extra slice of whatever pie you’re in the mood for. It’s the 4th of July thought that counts.