Many people often describe movie stars or recording artists as heroes. But this is an erroneous description; the real heroes in the USA are the emergency response teams like the fire and ambulance service who save people's lives every day. Do these people get the recognition they deserve for their heroism? That is debatable.

One state has a special festival to honour these good Samaritans who dedicate their lives to keeping people safe in American waters is Michigan, with The Grand Haven Coast Guard festival. This event goes back a long way, as far back as 1924 when it started as modest picnic for Coast Guard personnel and their families. The local Coast Guard station was on the water and they started to hold boat races for all the service men in the local area for some light entertainment. The word obviously got out and it started to grow. Yet it was not until August 1971 as the festival expanded more did it become accredited as an official day of celebration and got its name.

To mark the fact that Grand Haven has such a high esteem for the Coast Guard service Congress give it the title of "Coast Guard City, USA" which was signed by President Clinton in 1998. The carnival comprises of two rousing parades and finishes with a magnificent firework show which explodes across the sky and is reputed to be one of the most impressive in the country.

Anyone who participates in the Coast Guard Festival gets some special privileges such as an exclusive tour of the Coast Guard cutter. There is also a brilliant midway carnival, as well as a range of boat tours, jet-ski demonstrations, carnival games and live music. And just when you think organisers cannot provide any more entertainment they saved their trump card in the Street Dance. Music comes from Soul'd Out and is extremely popular with both young and old people.

The festival unofficially began in 1924 as a Coast Guard personnel only picnic when the local Coast Guard station held rowing competitions for those service members stationed in Grand Haven. Today the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival has become a premier event with attendance of over 350,000 people including the nations highest ranking Coast Guard dignitaries from Washington, D.C. It's happening this year between July 27th - August 5th 2018.

If you think of Red Rocks Park as just a beautiful place to see a concert, think again! Around you are 738 total acres of deer, dinosaurs, pines and prairie, geological wonders and spectacular vistas. At 6,450 feet above sea level, Red Rocks Park is a unique transitional zone where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. The diverse environment allows visitors to see plants, birds and animals of both regions.  Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a geological phenomenon – the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre in the world. From Sting and The Beatles, to opera stars and U2, every artist aspires to play on this magical, spiritual and emotional stage.

Red Rocks offers a variety of recreation options from guided tours, hiking, biking, shopping, dining and a summer concert series. Whatever your pleasure, enjoy discovering Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre.

Red Rocks is a geologically formed, open-air amphitheater that is not duplicated anywhere in the world. With Mother Nature as the architect, the design of the Amphitheatre consists of two, three hundred-foot monoliths (Ship Rock and Creation Rock) that provide acoustic perfection for any performance. The dramatic sandstone monoliths serve as a history book of animal and plant life in the area for the past 250 million years. As spectators gaze at the towering red sandstone rocks, they view the ancient tales of prehistoric times.

The area of Red Rocks, originally known as the Garden of Angels, has attracted the attention of musical performers since before the turn of the century. The majestic setting of the amphitheater, along with the panoramic view of Denver, makes for a breathtaking scene.

In the early 1900's, John Brisben Walker had a vision of artists performing on a stage nestled into the perfectly acoustic surroundings of Red Rocks. Walker produced a number of concerts between 1906 and 1910 on a temporary platform; and from his dream, the history of Red Rocks as an entertainment venue began.

George Cranmer, Manager of Denver Parks, convinced the City of Denver to purchase the area of Red Rocks from Walker for the price of $54,133. Cranmer convinced the Mayor of Denver, Ben Stapleton, to build on the foundation laid by Walker. By enlisting the help of the federally sponsored Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the Work Projects Administration (WPA), labor and materials were provided for the venture.

Denver architect Burnham Hoyt designed the amphitheater with an emphasis on preserving the natural beauty of the area. The plans were completed in 1936, and the amphitheater was dedicated on June 15, 1941, though the actual construction spanned over 12 years. In 1947, the first annual Easter Sunrise Service took place. Since then, Red Rocks Amphitheatre has attracted the best performers to its stage.

Red Rocks Park and the CCC camp received National Historic Landmark status in 2015, and received the honorary award on June 15, 2016 -- the amphitheater's 75th anniversary. The award is administered by the National Park Service on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. The designation recognizes sites that possess exceptional value and quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States.

The American Civil War was a particularly bloody period in the tumultuous history of the USA. It split the country down the middle and framed the abolitionist movement of the time, on one side the Confederacy (South) and on the other side the Union (North). Like all great battles in history, it has a particular resonance for the American people, who see the civil war as a titanic battle for freedom and liberty. Many people remember the fallen men and women in different ways, but in Mariposa, California, they have an event that immerses you right back in the conflict.

The Las Mariposa Civil War Days event takes place on over 60 acres of land which resembles actual battlefield locations, as attested by prior  reenactors.  Inhibited only by your imagination, our site has wide open spaces with trees, draws and a ravine.  Here the cavalry  lope their horses, cannon fire rages, and battle tactics and stategies are limitless in their potential. 

Tensions were escalating as a result of the anti-slavery movement in the 1850s, particularly in the Deep South where slavery was a huge industry for the owners of cotton plantations. President Abraham Lincoln was a central player in this story and was fiercely opposed to slavery, heading the abolitionist movement. Many efforts were made to hammer out a peace settlement and avoid war with the South, but nothing materialised. War was inevitable.

This war was a watershed moment in many ways, as it signalled the movement to mechanised warfare. Mass-production was starting to become more prevalent and new killing machines were used with greater accuracy on the battlefields. Because of this new technology the causalities were enormous, and the conflict remains the most deadly in the USA's history, with over 750,000 soldiers estimated to have died between 1861 – 1865.

Now there is an event in Mariposa, California,  that re-enacts some of the most telling events in the chronology of the fighting. You can get a real sense of what the American Civil War was really like, as historians and enthusiasts take you on a guided tour through a bygone era, using a variety of live demonstrations and story-telling to communicate the full spectrum of the war.

The event goes by the name of ‘Las Mariposas Civil War Days – Education Day' and there are so many exciting things to see and do. All the while you can feed your mind with interesting factual information and interactive tours, such as: Infantry Demonstrations, Live Artillery and Cavalry Demonstrations. You can also carry out a make-believe Q & A with notable figures like President Lincoln, President Davis, General Grant, General Lee and Colonel Fremantle. Then try your hand at being a blacksmith for an hour or if that does not tickle your fancy there is always the pony express!

Event Information:

http://thecivilwardays.com/

Jazz comes deep from the soul of the Afro-American tradition in the USA, emerging from the Southern States during a time of great political and social strife. Music was a great release in the pressure cooker that was America in the early 20th Century and this kind of music captures perfectly the ferocious energy and unpredictability of the age. The world famous trombonist J. J. Johnson captured the essence of the music saying: "Jazz is restless. It won't stay put and it never will." It continues to move people today. The 2018 Festival took place on April 27 through May 6 and it was be the 49th annual celebration.

In New Orleans they celebrate their jazz heritage in style with a wonderful event that brings together all types of music. This is known officially as the Jazz & Heritage Festival, but is more popularly known as the Jazz Fest on the street. 2013 is promising to be a bumper year with over 10-days of live music and food you can start to understand how much jazz means to the people, and how far it has travelled around the world. This year will see the likes of Billy Joel, The Black Keys and Maroon 5 make appearances.

International and local artists come from all over to contribute to the musical fusion between April 26th and May 5th. Organisers have repeatedly shown they are keen to blend different styles together, with past performers including: Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Santana, Sarah Vaughan, Paul Simon and Jimmy Buffett.

Jazz was one of the first major American exports and this festival represents a joy for the eyes and ears of the music connoisseur. You can expect a roster of thousands of musicians, chefs and artisans to cater to the 400,000 fellow music lovers who are predicted to be in attendance.

For more info please visit:

http://www.nojazzfest.com/