This 4th, ‘More Awareness of What It’s All About’

WASHINGTON -- Americans braved stifling heat and new terrorism warnings Thursday to celebrate the first Fourth of July since the Sept. 11 hijack attacks, as fireworks displays and small-town parades unfolded without major incident across the country.

Other than a shooting attack at Los Angeles International Airport that left three people dead, a heavy police presence at celebrations from Arizona to the national Mall helped provide a mainly safe holiday.

In New York, thousands gathered for Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show in lower Manhattan. The event was dedicated to American heroes and those who died Sept. 11. It featured 28,000 fireworks in a 90-minute ceremony near the Statue of Liberty. City officials urged residents to turn out in force for the pageantry, but they beefed up security to guard against a terrorist attack.

A flight ban to 10,000 feet was enforced over Manhattan, major highways were shut down near the event and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolled the scene.

In Seattle, police searched ice chests and picnic baskets as spectators filed into a lakeside park celebration. In Houston, police with dogs took the unusual step of conducting a predawn security sweep at two parks slated for Fourth of July festivities.

In Washington, the thermometer climbed to 99 degrees, the hottest Fourth of July since 1919. As the day wore on, the crowds grew, though attendance was believed to be lower than in previous years. There were minimal delays at security checkpoints throughout the evening, and police reported nothing out of the ordinary.

Fighter jets patrolled the skies, fences enclosed the Mall, security cameras panned for suspicious activity and a force of 2,000 officers, some wearing fluorescent yellow vests marked “police,” milled through the crowd.

“We needed to be here after Sept. 11. It was the patriotic thing to do,” said Donna Wagner, who came to the celebration with her husband, Walt.

“I am concerned about safety,” added Sudeep Kumar, who brought his wife and 8-year-old daughter to the festivities. “But I think the security is good, and this is one of the safest areas. They’re doing a great job to protect us. It’s a little inconvenient, but I’m willing to go through that.”

The fireworks over the Mall began shortly after 9 p.m., and the crowd oohed and aahed at the display. It began fairly traditionally but quickly escalated to include peace signs, smiley faces and three-dimensional pyrotechnics straight out of the special-effects shop.

Holly Shaffer, of Mar Vista, was in Washington for the annual convention of the Daughters of the American Revolution. “It was worth my while. It was wonderful.

“This was a safer place to be than Los Angeles today.”

Except for the shooting in Los Angeles and a small plane that crashed into a crowd at San Dimas, the major casualties of the day appeared to be the fireworks injuries that plague July Fourth celebrations every year.

Yet the day unfolded with unease. The FBI issued a terrorist bulletin that included a warning that an individual with “terrorist ties” had downloaded information from a Web site about two U.S. football stadiums. But President Bush, dropping in on the mountain hamlet of Ripley, W.Va., before flying back for the capital’s celebration, struck a determined tone.

“In the 226th year of our independence, we have seen that American patriotism is still a living faith. We love our country only more when she is threatened,” Bush said.

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said the nation was prepared for anything. “Throughout America, local law enforcement agencies are exercising their discretion about how to beef up, step up preventive measures. It’s visible for all to see.”

On the Las Vegas Strip, thousands of people paid tribute by viewing the Sept. 11 memorial that wraps around a 150-foot-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty in front of the New York-New York Hotel & Casino. The wrought-iron fence in front of the statue was covered with hundreds of fire and police department T-shirts from around the country, many with prayers for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

“We were on the World Trade Center observation deck on Sept. 2,” said Bill Hooks of Fort Worth, “and today, we wanted to see this memorial. We’re a little nervous about being here today, but you can’t let terrorism stop you.”

Show Low, Ariz.--evacuated in the path of a raging wildfire only days before--mounted its annual Fourth of July parade, with about 25,000 people crowding into the streets, waving flags and cheering. A young girl waved a “Thank you!” poster as a line of firetrucks blared sirens and flashed lights.

Dozens of residents of Shanksville, Pa., flocked to a hillside overlooking the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93, which was diverted from its intended target after it was hijacked Sept. 11. The plane crashed instead into a vacant field, killing all 44 people on board. The town held its first Fourth of July parade, led by a fire engine paid for with donations after the terrorist attacks.

In South Pasadena, a large crowd assembled for a parade amid a maze of police barricades. A “scent evidence team” van with bomb-sniffing dogs waited in the background.

“Scared. That’s how I’d describe it,” said Michael Cunningham, who has been to nearly all of the nine previous Independence Day parades. “People are afraid. You can sense it.”

Many of those at the Southland celebration echoed a sentiment expressed by partygoers across the country: that they were out waving flags, despite vague apprehensions, because it seemed like the right thing to do.

“The country is a lot more united this year,” said Mike Sandford, the South Pasadena parade co-founder, who was dressed as Uncle Sam. “We are more patriotic. We cooperate more together.... We should open up and have a good time and not be ruled by [terrorists]. This is what the Fourth of July is about: freedom--a celebration of who we are and what we are about.”

Seattle’s massive celebration went off without a hitch, despite a warning by the FBI last week that the city was an “easy target” for terrorists, with its relatively small police force.

The city had nearly 600 officers on patrol at three parks where people were gathered to watch fireworks, and it took the unusual step of setting up a police operations center. The U.S. Coast Guard and Harbor Patrol for the first time were strictly enforcing an exclusion zone around the barges where fireworks were set off.

Police spokesman Duane Fish downplayed the remarks by FBI special agent Charles Mandigo about the relatively small number of officers on the Seattle force, less than the national average based on the city’s population.

“It’s significant in terms of numbers, but that doesn’t make us a soft department in terms of preparation. Numbers don’t always equate to being prepared,” Fish said.

At Myrtle Edwards Park, Joane Binkley said she was not letting concerns about terrorist attacks keep her home. “I’m going to watch my back, but at the same time, this is a free country--and I’m going to go.”

The alert authorities disclosed Thursday came from the FBI, which said an individual with terrorist ties had downloaded information about the Edward Jones Dome, home to the St. Louis Rams, and the RCA Dome, used by the Indianapolis Colts.

The FBI refused to identify the group the individual was connected with, where the person was and whether information about other stadiums or arenas was downloaded.

Tom Benton of Valparaiso, Ind., who celebrated the holiday in Las Vegas, said this Fourth of July had added meaning for him. “This year, I have more awareness of what it’s all about and what we’ve gone through to get here. Nine-eleven brought us together and made me more aware of our freedoms.”

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Munn reported from Washington and Murphy from Seattle. Times staff writers Robin Wright in Washington, Gary Polakovic in Los Angeles, Tom Gorman in Las Vegas, Josh Getlin in New York, James Gerstenzang in Ripley, W.Va., and Lianne Hart in Houston contributed to this report.