The Fourth of July is a peak Midwestern holiday. It involves some of the things we do best: grilling, making salads that don’t really look like salads, and lighting stuff on fire. The Fourth in the Midwest is like Punxatawney on Groundhog Day. We come alive, fully realized in our culture of deviled eggs and Jell-O shots. Just make sure Uncle Steve doesn’t have one too many Hamm’s or else he might set off some stray bottle rockets and scare the neighbors. They did not like that last year. 

The Midwest may not have the historical significance of the East Coast, the temperate climate of California, or the rock-hard patriotism of the South, but we do love us some Americana. It’s the heartland after all— a part of the country that’s full of heart. So I hope you enjoyed it this year and that you’re nursing your firework hangover with some good old Midwestern memes.