Search Party411:

• Party411 Home
• Using Party411
• Party Advice

Shop Online
• The Shops
    @ Party411.com

• Party Talk
    Newsletter
• Daily Dish Blog

Personalize Your Party
• Personalized Candy
• Banners
• Life-Sized Cutouts
• Photo Ops
• Caricatures
• Invitations
• Sign-In Boards and
    Sign-In Books
• Bottle Labels
• Centerpieces
• Seating Cards
• Personalized
    Mint Tins
• Favors, Accessories
    and more!
• Custom Party Plans
• Creations for You

Plan Your Party
• Theme Parties
• Special Occasions
• Holiday Parties
• Corporate Event
    Planning
• Party Decorating411
• Party Games
• Invitations
• PartyMenu411
• Planning Guides

Expert Advice
• Corporate Consultant
• The Party Girl
• The Etiquette Queen
• The Game Girl
• Invitation Diva
• Fashion Queen
• The Party Doctor
• Party FAQs

• Door Prizes
• Discussion Forums
• Your Parties
• About Party411
• Advertising
    Opportunities

• Site Map

Uncle Sam Wants You!

An Independence Day Celebration

Uncle Sam has become a symbol for America and all her freedoms.  Why not have a July 4^th celebration that features Uncle Sam (and Lady Liberty too!) as your guest of honor?  With Uncle Sam inviting your guests and then welcoming them at the door how can your Independence Day party be less than spectacular?  So here are some patriotic party planning ideas that are perfect for a fun and different 4^th of July celebration.

Fourth of July Party Invitations

There are many ways to have festive patriotic invitations. For this particular party you should consider a personalized Uncle Sam invitation.  If you would like to purchase invitations at your local party store that will work also but make sure you get a patriotic party invitation with a whole lot of red, white and blue in it. 

Or maybe a flag invitation captures the spirit of the occasion. You can dress up this fill-in invite with a little patriotic confetti sprinkled in the envelope.

My favorite way to do patriotic invitations is to create them myself. The only rule is that there really are no rules. Find red, white, and blue everything! Search your house for scraps of colored construction paper, blue hair ribbon, white sequins from an old dress or costume, bandanas, and of course that red pom pom from an old sweater. Make each guest a different (one-of-a-kind collage) invitation. If you have children that can handle glue and scissors, that's even better! Let the kids put their own twist on the invitations, and make it a family affair.

Or try a small plant with red, white, and blue pinwheels or American flags stuck in it and tie your invitation around it with festive ribbon.

4th of July Decorations and Party Supplies

The welcoming area at a 4^th of July party is often very important. Your party is probably  going to be outside in the back.  You can’t be at the door to greet everyone.  So what are some options?  Try setting out a personalized Uncle Sam life-sized cutout.  Add a speech bubble to welcome and direct your guests.

Or have a big welcoming banner hanging to greet everyone.  Want festive?  Thinks about adding some red, white, and blue latex balloon bouquets to the sides. It’s a great way to add some color and help people identify where the best 4^th of July party in the neighborhood is being held.

You should be able to decorate most of the backyard with a patriotic decor kit, it has bows, banners, garland and bunting! You can add some light and bug protection with bamboo tiki torches filled with citronella oil. We also love these patriotic lantern lights, you can string them around the buffet or above your tables!

Get the kids involved: Kids can be decoration making machines if you give them the right tools and let them be creative. Paper ring chains made of red, white and blue construction paper are fun to make and can hang everywhere. Have them cut out stars and decorate them with crayons and glitter. Another fun idea is to give them a piece of poster board and let them draw a few small pictures about what freedom means to them. At the party your guests can drawn their own pictures adding to the patriotic sign in board!

4th of July Table Decorations and Menu

Start by alternating red and blue tablecovers on the tables where your guests will sit and eat. Clear tablecover clips will keep them in place. A  patriotic centerpiece will bring some fun to the tables, or just set out some simple white votives and sprinkle patriotic confetti across the table for a simple table decoration.

Set some overturned Uncle Sam hats on the table full of chip, pretzels and other snack items. Plastic serving trays can hold finder foods, or go with a patriotic chip and dip tray.

Ues a white table cloth on the buffet pair with this nifty patriotic table skirt. Outfit the buffet with Stars and Strips paper goods and patriotic snack servers. Wrap silverware in Stars and Stripes napkins and use plastic beads as a napkin ring. The beads make an unexpected but appreciated party favor! Let everyone grab canned drinks from a patriotic inflatable cooler at the end of the buffet.

What are you going to serve on this fantastic looking buffet? Well, an all American feast of course! Hamburgers and hot dogs alongside grilled kabobs and salmon will offer something for everyone. Go with your favorites. We always like pulled pork and a beer can chicken or two. Choose sides that will not spoil in the heat easily such as fruit salad, baked beans and corn on the cob. Yum!

For the bar you can add a few fun touches to take your celebration over the top! Personalized bottle labels will dress up bottled water and beer. A patriotic drink holder and patriotic umbrella picks for the drinks are a nice touch too.

Serve a great signature frozen drink in a red glow margarita cup, we think this one will look fantastic in a red glowing cup -

"Uncle Sam Wants You" Blue Margarita

• 1 1/2 oz Tequila

• 1 oz Blue Curacao

• Coarse Salt

• 1 oz Lime Juice

Rub rim of margarita glass with lime juice. Dip the rim in coarse salt. Shake tequila, blue curacao, and lime juice with ice, strain into the salt-rimmed glass, and serve!

4th of July Activities

Kids get a kick out of glowing light sticks. Hand them out and they'll amuse themselves. Kids also love LED patriotic wands and American flag noisemakers. Set up a few activities to keep the kids busy -

"Pin the Hat on Uncle Sam" - Give each child a small paper top hat to decorate as Uncle Sam's hat. Then blindfold each child, and have him try to stick the hat on Uncle Sam. The child who comes closest to putting the hat in the right place wins a prize. Prizes may also be awarded for the "most creative," "most colorful," etc. hats.

Have all of the kids make top hats that will fit them, and have a decorating contest (awarding a different prize to all kids- "most colorful", "most elaborate", most creative", etc.). Then have a parade around the neighborhood (wearing the new hats) to a famous march. Don't forget the universal bike parade where kids use crepe paper and the like to decorate their bikes to show off in the neighborhood.

Check out Patriotic Party Games for more ideas!

4th of July Party Favors

You absolutely would want a personalized Uncle Sam candy bar to give to your guests.  You not only get to personalize the front of the bar but we let you select your own “ingredients”.

For the kids you can put together a small goody bag. Here are a few ideas -

• Bubbles

• Sidewalk Chalk

• Flag Stickers

• Patriotic Inflatable Guitar

• Red White & Blue Glow Necklace

• Water Guns

Have a fantastic Fourth of July!