The Fourth of July is one of the busiest beach days of the year, especially when it falls on or next to the weekend. (And the first working day after the Fourth of July is one of the epic beach-cleanup days of the year.)
Daytona was known for ‘Dixie Frolics’ until 1971
From earliest days, the Fourth of July has been a day of parades, fireworks and picnics. Fourth of July baseball games have been played in Daytona since at least 1919. And between 1924 and 1937, area boosters held the Summertime Halifax Frolics, later called the Dixie Frolics, to bring more visitors to the beach around July Fourth. The Great Depression and wartime ended the festivities, but they were revived in 1945. The new Dixie Frolics included a Boardwalk beauty contest until 1971.
Beginning in 1959, the Fourth was also a racing holiday with the advent of the Firecracker 250 race, later the Firecracker 400. NASCAR moved the race’s date in 1988 and dropped “firecracker” from the name in the next year’s race. Since 2020, the race has run in late August, making it the last race of the Cup Series’ regular season.
Even without the race, the Fourth of July still marks the high tide of the summer season.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: A historical look at Daytona celebrating the Fourth
Reporting by Mark Lane, Special to The News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Lane, Special to The News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
