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By <\/span>Katie Rogers<\/span><\/p>\n The White House will host a 1,000-person gathering on the South Lawn on the Fourth of July, a celebratory display meant to signal that President Biden delivered on a promise that Americans could expect to return to some semblance of normal life by the holiday.<\/p>\n Essential workers and military families will be invited to participate in the South Lawn event, and administration officials have encouraged local leaders to hold their own celebrations: \u201cAmerica is headed into a summer dramatically different from last year. A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of reunions and celebrations,\u201d an email circulated to local leaders by the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs said.<\/p>\n The National Parks Service announced that visitors are encouraged to attend a holiday fireworks display on the National Mall and that all nearby monuments will be open. (Last year, attendees were advised to stay socially distanced and to avoid traveling into the capital.)<\/p>\n Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington also issued a statement that \u201cD.C. is open and ready to welcome back visitors\u201d for the holiday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank President Biden and his team for acting with urgency to get the vaccine to the American people so that we could save lives, get our country open, and celebrate together once again,\u201d Ms. Bowser said.<\/p>\n