This week got real patriotic real quick. On Thursday, I headed over to the Visitor Center Bus Shed to attend Holy City Entertainment’s annual pre-Fourth of July party. This event is in its second year and, despite the weather, lived up to the hype.

Speaking of the weather, anyone standing on the sides got soaked. That said, everyone quickly made friends with everyone they were huddled with, and with the beer flowing and the awesome cover band Midnight City playing, no one really seemed to care — other than me, briefly. There was a small pool forming beneath my feet, but I blew it off. After all, my flops couldn’t possibly smell much worse.

With two beer stations and one King of Pops set up, refreshments were plentiful and easily acquired. Midtown Bar & Grill supplied the typical Independence Day fare — burgers, hotdogs, chili, BBQ … you get it.

Special note: Midnight City somehow managed to cover my personal Top 40 list that I keep in my head. Congrats.

For the actual Fourth, I spent the day at a pool party just off of the peninsula. After years and years of attempting to either beach or boat, it’s sometimes easier to not do either and avoid the masses altogether. Coming back downtown I gathered a small group of friends to watch the fireworks at Vendue Rooftop. When we arrived, we were met with a $5 cover, which I guess was reasonable, but the roof itself already seemed to be close to capacity. This was early evening and I guess we should have figured as such after seeing droves of people lining the stairs of the Custom House. We then decided that the other rooftop in walking distance was over at Market Pavilion. There we were met with a $25 cover fee. Upon admission, we were led up to the roof, but we were stopped while trying to get off of the elevator by security. Once again, the storm had thwarted our merriment. We were instructed to go back downstairs, but we really thought that viewing a storm would be great rooftop watching, so we headed back to our usual part of town and viewed both the storm and the fireworks from there.

On Sunday, I convinced a group of people to head out to IOP to attend the Budweiser Bikini Bash at the Windjammer. Although I usually only hit up the ‘Jammer once or twice a year, I’m always set at ease just knowing it’s there. This would be the second time that I have attended the event. Last time was an absolute rager, though this time was a bit more subdued. Probably everyone over-enjoyed the Fourth, though the Fifth was still holding strong. Best of Charleston DJ NattyHeavy was there to provide the beats while the ladies paraded around in their swimsuits.

This event has been going on for the better part of two decades, and it shows no sign of slowing. If bikinis are not your thing, you can always peer over the beach out front to witness some really solid beach volleyball. One lady in particular caught my eye this time as she was a phenomenon. I was looking for a beach volleyball scout. Meanwhile, back up on the deck, we got a little info on some of the contestants. Jessica loves popcorn and hot dudes. An in-depth interview it is not, but a bash it certainly was.

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