This is the story of one July 4th in a fictional small town located somewhere between Baltimore and the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a farce-like tale filled with highly improbable characters: a drinking man with illusions of grandeur; two men who meet in a bar and challenge each other to an unusual contest; two robbers who choose the wrong clock shop to rob; a maybe Leprechaun; a fireworks lady with her live-in poltergeist. Mixing all of these unlikely folks into the celebrations of the nation"s independence results in an ill-fated parade and other mishaps as the events of the 4th of July play out. The end-of-evening fireworks are celebrated in true American style and with a truly American carnal ending. William J. Van Camp was born in 1940 in Greenbelt, Maryland. After service with the United States Army, he graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park with a degree in sociology in 1972. He is a trained hypnotherapist with practices in Silver Spring and Ocean City, Maryland.