As we put the June/July issue of Discover St. Clair Magazine to bed, it suddenly occurred to me I had the ideal centerpiece for my column. July. 2026 — 250 years of America.

Celebrating the Fourth of July was indeed a celebration of seemingly epic proportions for my family. Of course there was plenty of everything smoking on our backyard barbecue pit in a middle-class suburban neighborhood in Birmingham. We have Greek roots, after all — two people joining us? Fix enough extra for 10!

I remember so vividly my grandmother tossing another log onto the graying coals at just the right moment, ensuring that the racks of ribs and rows of chicken above had ‘yia yia’s signature touch of being perfectly palate pleasing.

It was just a matter of course for us. In later years, I reflected on why Fourth of July seemed to rank right up there, rivaling Christmas and Easter, and I realized it meant something more to my grandmother and my father — both naturalized citizens. They had come to America seeking a better life, and they found it.

As we celebrate our nation’s founding this month — a milestone birthday of two and a half centuries — I cannot help but reflect on the journey of sacrifices, joys, sorrows, challenges and triumphs that brought our nation to this moment.

May this melting pot of cultures and ideas continue to strengthen the very fabric of America, uniting us under a single banner — American — just like it did in 1776 and that suburban backyard just a few decades ago.

Happy Birthday, America!

Carol Pappas
Editor and Publisher