For many reasons, this years Fourth of July is important. This is the first year we have marked the occasion since Donald Trump's departure. It is a cause for celebration as well as a reminder of the unconsidered patriotism that often characterizes Fourth of July. The fireworks and barbecue shows this year will be the largest gatherings of people since the pandemic. This should create a powerful mixture of joy, fear and terror across the country. This Fourth of July also marks the centennial of 1921's Overlook Hotel July 4th Ball. You can see the legendary black tie affair in The Shining's final shots. Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance as the unlucky winter caretaker.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt looks like a great party doesn't it? The Overlook Hotel and its July Fourth Ball are fictional. This presents a challenge for those of us who want to celebrate the birth and rise of the nation by being trapped in an evil netherworld with a hundred years worth of hungry ghosts and a bar stocked full of liquor, as well as the musical stylings and orchestra of Ray Noble and Al Bowlly. But don't worry! We did some research and found plenty of other highly cursed Fourth of July parties. Slate's guide to the most popular Fourth of July parties in 1921 is the perfect resource for anyone who has just invented time travel, or simply wants to know which position as a hotel caretaker will lead to you living in a perpetual alcoholic hell.AdvertisementAdvertisementFirst, don't celebrate the Fourth at the Stanley Hotel. It is the hotel that inspired The Shining. However, on July 4, 1921 it was also the location that inspired 250 members of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York's western division to travel to Colorado for their annual convention. It would be a horrible Fourth of July to spend time with 250 life-insurance salesmen from the 1920s, but it would probably not be as horrific as The Shining. Colorado was actually a horrible place to celebrate Fourth of July in that year. It rained heavily throughout the state. Fort Collins and Greeley had to postpone fireworks displays and celebrations, while Aspen continued their party despite the terrible weather and no-shows from a visiting team baseball due to flooding roads. Even though the weather was perfect, Colorado's western heritage was highlighted in most of the festivities. Fort Collins was to host goat roping and steer bulldogging competitions. There would also be a U.S. Cavalry shooting exhibition, and a reenactment about the Deadwood stagecoach holdup, which would have been presented by Spittin Davis, the original driver. It's okay, but it doesn't have the Masque of Red Death feel you desire at a cursed Fourth of Jul party. Other states have also failed to attract overlook hotels: The Ahwahnee Hotel, California, which inspired the interiors in the movie, was not open until 1927. Construction of the Timberline Lodge (used for exterior shots) didn't start until 1936.AdvertisementAdvertisementYou have to be there to witness the soul-destroying gatherings of the depraved and decadent rich that the Overlook enjoyed. He gave a one-sentence speech while christening the rowboat Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Jr. was built. It was his closest Fourth of July address.AdvertisementThis boat, Joseph Frelinghuysen's handiwork, was christened the Raritan as a tribute to American boyhood.Although it is quite dull, this does not make for a terrible Fourth of July party. Although it is not clear if the Raritan became a ghost vessel, this could increase the chances of people being condemned for attending its christenings over and over until the end. However, its commission was actually cruising along a water hazard at Raritan Valley Country club collecting lost golf balls. There wasn't much risk of naval tragedy. Washington D.C. was quiet on the Fourth of July without the president present to stir things up.AdvertisementAdvertisementNew York City had more options than D.C. but not nearly enough to satisfy every requirement of the never-ending demon party list. The small group that watched a young man drown in Central Park's reservoir, without trying to save him, is a cursed option, but it's not a Fourth of July party. You could also join the anti-Prohibition protestors' parade, which undoubtedly produced some amazing Fourth of July parties but does not seem to be all that cursed. You would have to travel to East Hampton in order for you reach the bifecta. There, 600 people attended an American Legion outdoor dance, many of them undoubtedly evil. The Capital City Club in Atlanta, Georgia is the best place to get your souls eaten by the unquiet dead. They held a rooftop dance that gave off serious Overlook Hotel vibes. If you measure the Overlook Hotel vibes that you get from hanging out at any country club in Atlanta (a lot), and then extrapolating backwards (even further).AdvertisementThe Fourth of July party of 1921, which has the greatest potential to be a nexus of evil across all time and space, was held in Los Angeles. Governor William Stephens and Mayor George Cryer presided at a masquerade ball at the Palm Court of the Alexandria Hotel. Today, Cryer is most remembered for his close ties with Charles H. Crawford (local bootlegger and racketeer), whose group became the City Hall Gang because they controlled the city's government. Cryers first appearance as mayor was at the Alexandria party. He had only been sworn into office on July 1. Kent Kane Parrot, his campaign manager was his point of contact with Crawfords group. Cryers Fourth of July party was a victory party. It was probably as crowded as the Overlook during the Horace M. Derwent period, which guaranteed a large number of angry ghosts dressed in formal wear. The Palm Court also has Tiffany glass skylights. This intricate pattern could transform into a nest full of writhing serpents if people aren't directly looking at it. That kind of shit is a favorite with ghosts! The best part was that the party at Alexandria wasn't just a Fourth of Jul dance. It was also a masquerade ball. This is where you can wear a bear suit, fall for a man wearing a tuxedo, or run around screaming Unmask! Without causing any trouble, Unmask! The 1921 Fourth Of July Masquerade Ball at the Alexandria Hotel, Los Angeles, California is Slates Top Pick. This Fourth of July celebration will see you being devoured by the ghosts of an old hotel that has seen too much. You can still celebrate the holiday in another way if you are unable to make it to 1921 Los Angeles. They say that all work is not equal to any play.
