This Land Is Your Land
Hey, it’s our semiquincentennial! And that’s a word I’m happy I’ll never have to type again after today.
As you can imagine, there are approximately 40 billion stories about America’s 250th, so it’s not easy to pick which ones to link to. But here we go …
CBS asked people what songs should be in the Essential American Songbook (and of course way, way too many songs were left out); Barnes & Noble has 250 classic American books to read; the National Constitution Center has everything you need to know about the document; the National Park Service has a list of events you can see now and for the rest of the year; The Wall Street Journal has a calendar filled with ways to celebrate; USA Today takes a voyage on America’s Tall Ship; and Gizmodo ranks the items chosen by each state to go in the time capsule that will be opened in 250 years. To top it all off, Budweiser wants to buy you a beer to celebrate America’s 250th.
And since you’re already here on the Post site, take a look at a gallery of our Fourth of July covers.
Rockwell in D.C.
A series of Norman Rockwell illustrations that first appeared in the November 13, 1943, issue of the Post – and were the center of a big lawsuit the past several years – are now on display at The White House Historical Association in Washington, D.C. It runs until June 2027.
Get Your Kicks
Route 66, the most American of roads, turns 100 this year. CBS Sunday Morning has the story.
Uploaded to YouTube by CBS Sunday Morning
Happy Birthday, Mel Brooks
Route 66 isn’t the only thing celebrating 100 years in 2026. So is Mel Brooks, known for such films as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, The Producers, Spaceballs, and High Anxiety; TV shows like Get Smart and Your Show of Shows; and his “2000-Year-Old Man” character. He hit the century mark on Sunday.
RIP Ann Blyth, Victor Willis, David Clayton-Thomas, Kurt Ard, Harold Wheeler, Stephen Dobyns, Tony Brown, Om Malik, and Ellen Weston
Ann Blyth received an Oscar nomination for playing Joan Crawford’s messed-up daughter in the classic drama Mildred Pierce. She also appeared in Kismet, Rose Marie, The Great Caruso, Brute Force, and The Helen Morgan Story. She also appeared in a series of Hostess commercials. She died last week at the age of 98.
Victor Willis was the frontman for The Village People, known for such songs as “Y.M.C.A.” He died Tuesday at the age of 74.
David Clayton-Thomas was the lead singer on such Blood, Sweat & Tears songs as “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “And When I Die,” and “Spinning Wheel.” He died last week at the age of 84.
Kurt Ard was a Danish artist who did several covers for the Post and many other magazines. He died last month at the age of 100.
Harold Wheeler was not only the band leader on Dancing with the Stars for 17 seasons, he also arranged/produced music for Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Ray Charles, and many others. He was also involved in the music for such Broadway shows as The Wiz, Dreamgirls, The Full Monty, and Hairspray. He died last week at the age of 83.
Stephen Dobyns was an acclaimed poet and novelist. He died last month at the age of 85.
Tony Brown hosted the PBS talk show Tony Brown’s Journal for almost 40 years. He died last month at the age of 93.
Om Malik was a popular and influential tech blogger and investor. He died last week at the age of 59.
Ellen Weston not only acted on The Guiding Light, she was a writer for the show. She also had regular roles on Another World, The Young and the Restless, SWAT, and Get Smart and wrote several TV movies. She died in May at the age of 87.
This Week in History
Mildred J. Hill Born (June 27, 1859)
You may not know the name, but you know the song she co-wrote with her sister Patty. In fact, you have probably sung it out loud dozens of times.
Captain Video and His Video Rangers Premieres (June 27, 1949)
The first science fiction TV series lasted for six seasons, but only two dozen episodes out of the over 1500 produced still exist, and many of those are held by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. The others were destroyed. It’s astounding the people who wrote for the show: Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Damon Knight, James Blish, Jack Vance, and Cyril Kornbluth!
Here’s the first episode.
Uploaded to YouTube by Classic TV & Movies
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Fourth of July Picnic” by J.C. Leyendecker (July 3, 1915)
At first I wasn’t sure what the kid has in his pocket but then it came to me: fireworks.
Fourth of July Recipes
Can I find recipes that reference America in some way? Let’s find out!
The Kitchn has these 4th of July Wine Sparklers.
Smitten Kitchen has Roseanne Cash’s All-American Potato Salad.
The Pioneer Woman has this Easy Cowboy Caviar (it’s a dip).
Southern Living has Tennessee Onion Burgers.
Legends of America has Route 66 Chili.
Handmade in the Heartland has these 4th of July Firecracker Dogs.
Simply Recipes has a classic New England Lobster Roll.
Julia’s Simply Southern has Traditional Southern Fried Chicken.
For dessert, try the Baked Alaska from Delish or this American Flag Pie from Sally’s Baking.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest (July 4)
Can Joey Chestnut beat his record from 2021, when he ate 76 hot dogs (and buns!) in 10 minutes? Can woman’s champ Miki Sudo beat her record of 51? Tune in to ESPN2 or ABC at noon ET to find out.
250 TV (July 4)
At 8 p.m. ET, CBS will have The Great American Block Party 250, ABC will have Disney Celebrates America, and NBC will have the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks.
TCM will be showing appropriately-themed movies all day and night, including Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Music Man, 1776, The Song of a Nation, and The Scarlet Coat.
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