Fun on the Fourth

America turns 230 years old tomorrow, democracy still reigns and you have class off. So you know what that means: time to CELEBRATE!\nSome Fourth of July activities are obvious. From noon to 2 p.m., a concert will be held at the Monroe County Courthouse -- followed by Bloomington's Independence Day parade; whose route will run from 11th Street and College Avenue to the courthouse and back. Then, of course, there will be the fireworks at 10:15 p.m. at IU Memorial Stadium.\nBut beyond these options, there are virtually limitless ways to observe our rich cultural heritage. If I might make a few suggestions:\n• Movies. I'm guessing many of you will watch "Independence Day" or "The Patriot" -- and if that's what you really want to do, then, well ... enjoy. But if you're a big cinema buff, why not try to take in the work of some of our great filmmakers? Being sort of a classicist, the first to spring to my mind are the works of John Ford ("The Searchers"), John Huston ("The Maltese Falcon") and Frank Capra ("Mr. Smith Goes To Washington") -- but the choices are truly endless. Are Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino or John Carpenter more your thing? Go for it. Or, why not arrange a marathon of the best of that uniquely American genre: the Western? \n• Music. Many countries celebrate their musical heritage by trotting out musty, old folk music that survives merely due to academic life support, tourism and historical reenactment groups. Not us. Since the dawn of the 20th century, the United States has had the world's most dynamic and influential musical culture, challenged only by Britain (and good luck disentangling the two). Jazz, Blues, Rock, Country, Folk, Hip-Hop, Electronica -- even (groan) Disco -- all have U.S. origins. So, why not spend the day giving an ear to the genres' pioneers: Chuck Berry, Elvis, Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis or The Ramones? And, OK, how about some Aaron Copland, Scott Joplin or George Gershwin for you classical geeks?\n• Sports. Again, a real easy way to enjoy our culture. Play a bit of baseball, basketball, football ... Just not soccer (I kid, I kid!). \n• Food. In this country, our diversity of cuisines matches our cultural diversity, and what could be more American than having Mexican for lunch and Chinese for dinner? But we also have our own endogenous creations. The greatest, of course, is barbecue, which, despite its French name, is an entirely different dish from what the rest of the world considers "barbecue" (throwing some meat on a grill, i.e., grilling). Sources differ on American barbecue's origins -- some say it was invented by slaves in the 18th century, others say by cowboys in the 19th century -- regardless, decades of care and regional innovation have turned it into a high culinary art form. Try cooking it yourself, you'll see what I mean. \nAnd don't forget that the ideas upon which this country was founded were thrashed out in taverns and ale houses. Best to maintain that tradition, too.