Fourth of July celebrations in Dauphin Island

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (WKRG) — Many kicked off the Fourth of July holiday by setting up tents and firing up their grills, making all the summer must-haves, like grilled chicken, ribs, sausage links, corn on the cob, and more.

Lee Gates tells me he’s having a little bit of everything but says his ribs are something special.

“They’re the best,” said Gates. “They’ll make you go slap somebody when you get a taste of mine.”

Instead of hanging out by the hot grill, others are spending the day in the sand or on the water. Joey Mortellaro and his family got an early start to their vacation from Mobile.

“We ended up leaving at 9:45 and it was raining off and on all the way here, heavy at times, and it was even raining when we got here,” explained Mortellaro. “But we said, we’re here for the day because there’s no lightning or nothing, no bad storms to pop up. It’s a beautiful day in Dauphin Island.”

While some traveled from as close as Mobile, other people traveled much farther to be here. I even ran into an old friend from high school who came all the way from Birmingham.

“Just celebrating the Fourth of July with my girl, said Josie Harwood. “We’re going to try to stick around long enough to check it [the firework show] out.”

Aside from having a good time, people are stopping to appreciate what the holiday is all about — a celebration of our country’s freedom.

“Just thankful for the Founding Fathers signing the Declaration of Independence. That freed us from British tyranny,” said Edward Wallace.

“I am proud to be an American,” said Harwood.

The Fourth of July fun continues through the evening. There will be a fireworks show tonight at 9 p.m.

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