North Dakota: 4th Of July Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make This Year

We are getting ready to kick off all of our Fourth of July celebrations, and this is a big year - the 250th!

Obviously, I think you should go all out this year, but before you do, I thought I'd put out a sort of PSA. So your celebrating goes off without a hitch, I put together a list of 6 mistakes you don't want to make this year.

1, Poisonous Potato Salad

Before you dig into any potato salads at your 4th of July barbeque, ask yourself "how long has this been sitting in the sun?" Salmonella and E. Coli should not be on your 4th of July menu. Don't do yourself dirty. Eat wisely.

2. Leave Your Drink

Of course in any public space, you want to watch your drink. You don't want someone to slip anything into it. That said, for the 4th, you're probably at a family gathering, so you don't have to worry about that. However, you still should watch your drink; you don't want to sit it and forget whose is whose. There's nothing quite as icky as hoping the drink you just picked up is actually yours and not neighbor Joe's. Also BUGS. Leave your drink for too long, and your soda will turn into ant soup.

3. Bug Spray

Speaking of bugs, the one thing you will not forgive yourself for is forgetting bug spray. I once went to the Capitol Grounds for a firework show completely unarmed and outnumbered. The mosquito army won the battle and the war.

4. Wearing White

Look, I know it's a whole red, white and blue-themed weekend, but wearing white is risky business. Chili dogs, ketchup-soaked hotdogs, fruity cocktails, your shirt will not make it out of this holiday alive.

Those are just a few things to avoid doing on the 4th of July, but of course, allow me to do the obligatory "don't blow off your limbs or set yourself on fire" warning too.