From hot dogs to Uncle Sam: Photos of Fourth of July celebrations around the country

Along the white sand shores of central Florida, a group of Brevard County Ocean Rescue Lifeguards raise the American flag on Thursday morning to mark the annual tradition of running along the beach before their holiday shift in Cape Canaveral starts.

Over a thousand miles north, in New York City, a group of revelers dressed as hot dogs chant for the cameras as they wait for the start of Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, where 16-time champion Joey Chestnut will not compete this year after he signed with a rival food brand.A group of Scouts celebrate Independence Day as they walk with their guides beneath an oversize star-spangled banner during the Edmond LibertyFest Parade in Oklahoma.

Squirt Gun, a 7-year-old American Paint Horse, closes its eyes as it's kissed by resident Vanessa Williams before the start of the Pet Parade during Independence Day celebrations in Bandera, Texas.

A dog rides in a carrier adorned with American flags on the back of a motorcycle in the 4th at Firestone parade in Firestone, Colorado, where floats, marching bands, classic cars and motorcycles featured in the annual parade through the Weld County community north of Denver.

In Southport, North Carolina, people line the streets as a woman participating in the annual Independence Day parade rides on the back of a Pontiac convertible. The first recorded Independence Day celebration in Southport was in 1795.

A man dressed as Uncle Sam waves to the crowd in Southport as the U.S. celebrates 248 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Along the shoreline in Southport, a young girl waves a flag as she poses for a photo after the annual parade.

A boy carrying a large American flag walks along a road during the annual Barton Hills neighborhood 4th of July parade in south Austin, Texas. A few hundred residents walked the half-mile parade to the elementary school and enjoyed cookies, watermelon and ice cream.