Few traditions are more popular in America than barbecuing during the hot summer months, and what better day to light the charcoal and fire up the grills than our nations birthday.
According to many BYU and UVSC students, the Fourth of July is best celebrated when you combine good friends, fire and food.
'Of course you have to barbeque on the Fourth of July,' said Necia Beck, a graduate student in Horticulture Science at BYU. 'You go to the park and have lots of little kids running around. It's great.'
For some students who don't live near family, the Fourth can be a great chance to hang out with old friends and meet new ones.
'Most people here don't have family around,' said Alecia Bowden, a UVSC student from Orem. 'So it's great to get together with them and do something.'
Bowden said she just bought a new grill in preparation for the barbecuing season and is excited to use it this Fourth of July.
'We've had a barbeque for the past three or four years,' she said. 'So I'm sure we will have one again this year.'
For some students it's a yearly tradition to light the fires and fry the beef with family or friends. Others like Eve and Esther Yoder from Bath, N.Y., said this Fourth will be spent somewhat unique.
'We usually don't have a barbecue on the Fourth,' said Esther Yoder, a BYU Folk Dance major.
The Yoders said instead of eating watermelon and watching fireworks with their family like they normally do, they will be spending this Independence Day meeting new people and making friends.
'This year the Fourth is the first day of the Palmyra Pageant ,' said Eve Yoder, a BYU art teaching major. 'The first day is a barbeque. We get to meet everyone, register, have a devotional and then eat dinner. It's awesome.'
Students also said Independence Day is a great time to socialize and make new friends.
'Last year was fun,' said Bowden. 'We had a lot of friends over and they brought others so we got to meet a lot of new people.'
Others students, like Seth Lloyd, a junior at BYU from Hermiston, Ore., said he will be spending the weekend with smaller groups of people.
'I'll be camping that weekend with ,' said Lloyd, who just got married a few weeks ago. 'I'm sure we'll at least barbecue up some hot dogs and eat them.'
Some people barbecue to eat the great tasting food, but others like Esther Yoder said it is the experience that matters most.
'It's more the people you're with than the food you're eating,' he said.