AP PHOTOS: Americans celebrate the Fourth of July
Spectators watch fireworks streak across the sky during the Fanfare and Fireworks celebration at the University of Florida on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Matt Stamey)
Spectators watch fireworks streak across the sky during the Fanfare and Fireworks celebration at the University of Florida on Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Matt Stamey)
Spectators wait for a fireworks display to begin at a Fourth of July celebration in Kansas City, Kan. Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Fourth of July fireworks are set off on Lake Winnipesaukee, Tuesday, July 3, 2012 in Alton Bay, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
A United States flag waves next to carnival rides as fireworks burst in the air during the Fourth of July Independence Day show at State Fair Meadowlands, Tuesday, July 3, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Fireworks light up the sky against the backdrop of a full moon during a Fourth of July celebration in Kansas City, Kan., Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Across the United States, Americans are celebrating 236 years of independence with backyard barbeques, family gatherings and, of course, fireworks.
While many celebrations have been scaled-down or canceled due to weather-related power outages and concerns of spreading wildfires amid dry, hot weather, many are still celebrating, albeit in less-than-traditional ways.
Hundreds of thousands from the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic are spending the Fourth of July like America's founders did in 1776, without the conveniences of electricity and air conditioning.
Fireworks on the National Mall in Washington are planned to go forward.
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Here's a running photo gallery, updated throughout the day, of celebrations across the U.S.
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Read more about the Fourth of July here: http://apne.ws/O4NrL9
AP Essay: In divided era, what does July 4th mean? http://apne.ws/O4NGG3
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