In Rhode Island, Bristol is synonymous with the 4th of July. Historical ties to the 4th date back to 1785 when the 1st Congregational Church of Bristol staged the first of their annual "Patriotic Exercises." These exercises eventually transitioned to the annual 4th of July Parade, although the exact date of that transition is not known. Records show that the parade was held in the early 1800s at least, which makes it the longest running Independence Day Parade in history. Bristol pulls out all the stops for the celebration and home owners throughout the town get into the spirit. The city is well decorated, homes along the parade route fly red white and blue banners, and the lane dividers on the streets are painted in red white and blue stripes. As you can see in today's photo, the town also rolls out their Uncle Sam Mr. Potato Head for the occasion. Here he stands in front of the Senior Center - which is quite appropriate, given his age - waving to the traffic on Route 114.
Post processing was limited entirely to a detail light filter in Topaz Adjust. No levels adjustments or other filters were applied, so this shot was pretty much straight out of the camera.
