Maggie Lisi, 9, blows bubbles with her mother, Lindsey Lisi, on Friday during the Bristol, Rhode Island, Military, Civic and Firemen’s Parade, the oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration in the United States. (Ken McGagh / Reuters)

From the sandy beach towns of Southern California to the rocky coasts of Maine, Americans celebrated the ratification of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 with flags, fireworks, hot dogs and parades.

Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla., during an early celebration on Thursday night. (Thomas Bender / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA-Today Network)

Some revelers didn’t wait until July 4 to celebrate the historic adoption by the Second Continental Congress, seen as the beginning of the United States of America, like crowds in Sarasota, Florida, on July 3.

A parade in Gilmanton, N.H., on Friday morning. (Matthew Nighswander / NBC News)

In Gilmanton, New Hampshire, even dogs got in on the act as people marched on parade in the town of around 4,000.

Stephen Saji, from Zimbabwe, listens as former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers keynote remarks to new citizens on Independence Day at Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Va., on Friday. (Rod Lamkey / AP)

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Hollywood icon and former governor of California, addressed some of the nation’s newest citizens at Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia.

At the naturalization event, Schwarzenegger reflected on his own remarkable journey since coming to America.

“Fifty-seven years ago when I came to this country, not in my wildest dreams did I think that one day this immigrant would be asked to lay a wreath at George Washington’s tomb — and to be asked to give the keynote speech at this spectacular event here today,” he said.

Vivian LaFountain and other members of the Clinch Bend chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution during the Museum of Appalachia's annual Independence Day celebration and anvil shoot in Norris, Tenn., on Friday. (Saul Young / News Sentinel / USA Today Network)

In Norris, Tennessee, they celebrate the occasion with an “anvil shoot,” which is when gunpowder is used to launch a 200-pound anvil into the air.

“Anvil shoots were once a common way for pioneers to commemorate holidays, elections and other special occasions,” the Museum of Appalachia says on its website.

Clockwise from top left: Two spectators head over to the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Friday; members of the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps before festivities at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., on Friday; a woman at the official weigh-in ceremony ahead of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Thursday; Randa Alakkad, from Syria, listens as Schwarzenegger delivers keynote remarks to new citizens at Mount Vernon on Friday. (Getty; AP; Reuters)

Joey Chestnut competes for the men's tittle at the 2025 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating competition in Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Friday. (Angela Weiss / AFP - Getty Images)

In Brooklyn, a different kind of dog had its day — the hot dog, one of America’s signature foods. Joey Chestnut regained the championship at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, an annual Fourth of July tradition.

Sheboygan Hmong dancers during the Fourth of July parade in Sheboygan, Wis., on Friday. (Gary C. Klein / Sheboygan Press / USA Today Network)

In Wisconsin, Hmong dancers took part in the parade in Sheboygan. The Hmong are an ethnic group from China and Southeast Asia. Sheboygan was the U.S. metro area with the 10th largest Hmong population in 2019, according to the Pew Research Center. (The largest was in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota.)

New U.S. citizens Irina Lupu, from Moldova, Rustam Budaichiev, from Kyrgyzstan, and Verna Guadalupe, from Jamaica, following the naturalization ceremony at Mount Vernon on Friday. (Rod Lamkey, Jr. / AP)

More than 100 newly naturalized citizens were celebrated at Mount Vernon, the historic home of George Washington, including these three.

The annual Fourth of July Parade in Banner Elk, N.C., on Friday. (Allison Joyce / Getty Images)

In the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, people lined the parade route in Banner Elk to celebrate the holiday.

A participant throws candy during the Fourth of July parade in Prattville, Ala., on Friday. (Mickey Welsh / The Montgomery Advertiser / USA Today Network)

The Fourth of July Parade in Banner Elk, N.C., on Friday. (Getty Images)

Residents gather to watch as the Independence Day parade passes by Storm Lake, Iowa, on Friday. The town is the state's most ethnically diverse, with about 40% of the population claiming Hispanic heritage and about 15% Asian heritage, and more than 30% foreign born. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

Seven-year-old Lydia Riter and Tanner Zaiz during a parade in Melbourne, Fla., organized by the Space Coast Young Republicans on Friday. (Tim Shortt / Florida Today / USA Today Network)