Throw the Perfect Independence Day Block Party – Easy Entertaining Tips for the 4th of July

Throw the Perfect Independence Day Block Party

Easy Entertaining Tips for the 4th of July

This post is sponsored by Sam’s Club, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

As our country’s birthday approaches, it is time to stock up on all our Fourth of July necessities to celebrate in style.

I love entertaining, holiday events and I love shopping at Sam’s Club. So when looking ahead to celebrating July 4th, it is the perfect opportunity to throw a neighborhood block party. The kids are out of school, the nights are longer, and it just seems like everyone is a bit friendlier and more open to getting together.

Independence Day is a great time to celebrate with a potluck neighborhood block party. I remember these parties from my own childhood. Throwing a block party doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. Stocking up at Sam’s Club makes it easy. You can buy your Fourth of July essentials at great prices and you can buy in the quantities you need. 

You’ll find steaks, ribs, and burgers and you’ll also find sustainably sourced seafood. Read on to see what we are serving as our main dish. Don’t forget the sweet corn and the watermelon. We made several dishes from one juicy watermelon that we are excited to share with you! Look for Member’s Mark products for the very best in taste and value.

Sam’s Club is going to help make your Fourth of July party a huge success. Of course, no summer party is complete without a watermelon. Yes, you can slice it into wedges and serve it but Sam’s Club has a great price for big juicy watermelons so why stop there? Try our refreshing and festive watermelon feta salad and watermelon lemonade punch.

This light, refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad comes together in just a few minutes. My husband had some reservations about combining Feta with watermelon but he will now tell you that the combination is simply delicious.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

8 Cups Cubed or Balled Watermelon
1/4  Cup Chopped Basil
1 Cup Feta Cheese
2 Limes
¼ TSP Salt
¼ TSP Pepper

Add the watermelon to a large bowl. Squeeze in the juice from the limes, add salt, pepper, basil, and toss. Top with Feta Cheese. Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Here is a quick and easy tutorial to make a delicious and refreshing watermelon/lemonade punch:

Ingredients:

10 Cups Cubed  Watermelon
1 ¼  Cups Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 ¼ Cup Simple Syrup ( 1 Cup Sugar and 1 Cup Water)
10 Cups Filtered Water
Mint for Garnish

Directions:

Blend 10 cups of watermelon and strain it. In a drink dispenser, add the watermelon juice, simple syrup, lemon juice, and water.

Corn on the cob is another must have at any summer get together. If you have never tried it on the grill you don’t know what you are missing! It will cook right along with whatever you are grilling. Add grated parmesan cheese while the corn is still warm and that is the taste of summer.

You may already know that Sam’s Club has fantastic meat prices. Did you know their sustainably sourced shrimp is a great value and is also so good on the grill?

When we made this bacon wrapped shrimp, our mouths were watering! What is better than the smell of bacon? When you combine it with the jumbo shrimp, it is a combination that has no equal.

Ingredients:

1.5 LBS Raw Jumbo Shrimp (about 14) 
1 LB Bacon (about 7 Slices Thick Cut Bacon)
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Peel and clean the shrimp, and then dry it well. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Cut the bacon strips in half and wrap one half bacon slice around the shrimp. If needed, use a toothpick to hold the bacon. Refrigerate until ready to grill. Remove toothpicks before grilling. Place on grill, flipping occasionally until the bacon is fully cooked and crispy.

Remove from grill and enjoy.

Here are some easy tips that can really help make your Independence Day Block Party a success:

Find a party coordinator if that is not you. You will need someone to email or pass out invitations and to delegate the setup and the potluck dishes. Don’t forget to have a sign up for clean up so that one family doesn’t get stuck with all the work at the end.

When planning your block party, plan a parade for the young ones complete with decorated wagons, bicycles, and homemade instruments. You can also include old-fashioned games such as a watermelon seed spitting contest, flashlight tag, sack races, water balloon games or a scavenger hunt.