July 4th celebrations

Independence Day fireworks light the sky over the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and on July 4, 2013.

Fireworks explode behind the Empire State Building and the Manhattan skyline during Macy's 37th Annual Fourth of July fireworks show in New York City.

Fourth of July Independence Day fireworks are seen over the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument July 4, 2013 in Washington, D.C.

Cub Scout Tristan Jenkins, 9, says the Pledge of Allegiance during a flag ceremony before the start of the Cordova Independence Day Parade in Cordova, Tenn..

David Manzer, 12, watches the annual Independence Day parade in Southport, N.C.

Flags mark the empty lots where beach cottages used to be in the Breezy Point section of the Queens borough of New York on July 4. More than 110 homes were destroyed by fire in Breezy Point last October during Superstorm Sandy.

Master of Ceremonies George Shea, top, cheers as Joey "Jaws" Chestnut sets a new record and wins the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island on July 4, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Chestnut, of San Jose, California, ate 69 hotdogs in ten minutes to win his seventh straight title.

Tourists arrive at the Statue of Liberty, as Liberty Island opens to the public on July 4 for the first time since Superstorm Sandy slammed into the New York area.

A woman eats at a food court during the reopening of Liberty Island to the public in New York. Under steamy summer skies, tourists flocked to ferries headed for the Statue of Liberty, re-opening with an Independence Day ceremony after closing in October as Superstorm Sandy approached.

Members of the Old Guard attend the reopening ceremony of the Statue of Liberty. The statue was mostly spared by the storm, but the surrounding infrastructure was badly damaged.

A man dressed as Uncle Sam takes part in the Independence Day parade in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Re-enactors march away from the Old State House following a public reading of the United States Declaration of Independence in Boston, Massachusetts.

Parade participants rally before the start of the Independence Day parade in Takoma Park, Maryland.

The Haig family stands for the pledge of allegiance before a public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Boston, Massachusetts.

Re-enactors in period attire listen as a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company reads the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House in Boston, Massachusetts.

Wearing a horse mask, Sarah Keneston, 15, left, and Gabrielle LaFond, 15, dance in the rain before watching the fireworks show during the Fanfares & Fireworks celebration at the University of Florida on July 3 in Gainesville, Fla. The rain stopped before the fireworks show.

People dangle from the Sky Flyer ride at State Fair Meadowlands as fireworks explode in the sky in East Rutherford, N.J. on July 3.