By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff | aroberson@ticotimes.net

U.S. citizens who usually celebrate their country's Independence Day holiday by partying at the Cervecería Costa Rica in Alajuela, northwest of San José, will have to get their hotdogs and beer elsewhere this year -- for the first time in 47 years, the American Colony Committee (ACC) will not be throwing its annual picnic July 4 picnic, according to committee president Susan Tessem.

There are “a variety of reasons” the committee has decided to cancel this year's event, some of which are financial and others of which are “committee situations,” Tessem said, declining to name other specific reasons for the picnic's cancellation.

“We needed to focus on getting re-energized and reorganized for next year,” she said, explaining that the 35-member committee has firm plans to resume this annual tradition on July 4, 2008.

In the past, the July 4 bash has drawn as many as 5,000 U.S. citizens and their families donning red, white and blue (TT, July 8, 2005). Lots of food and drink, games and music from the University of Costa Rica (UCR) concert band have made the picnic festive and colorful, and numerous businesses and individuals have donated to make the free event possible.

Also, the picnic has always been a place for newcomers to hook up with cultural organizations and nonprofits, as many of these groups set up booths on the Cervecería grounds.

The committee will soon begin planning for next year's event and plans to hold meetings about every month and a half throughout the year until July 4 approaches and the meetings become more frequent, Tessem said.

The Tico Times traditionally publishes a picnic program that's inserted in the newspaper and handed out at the event. This year, we'll be including a special July 4 supplement in the edition that comes out June 29, the Friday before this holiday. The supplement will include a greeting from the U.S. Ambassador, information about other July 4 events around Costa Rica, photos from past picnics, articles on July 4 traditions and information on what the ACC has in store for next year.