Fourth of July

James Barnes, of Brighton, had a seat in the front row for the 42d Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

James Barnes, of Brighton, had a seat in the front row for the 42d Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

John and Erin Pennington kissed while wearing American flag themed mustaches.

Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

John and Erin Pennington kissed while wearing American flag themed mustaches.

Leo Bingham, 9, and his sister Nina, 11, (right) enjoyed the playground.

Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff

Leo Bingham, 9, and his sister Nina, 11, (right) enjoyed the playground.

People waited on the grass in front of the Hatch Shell.

Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

People waited on the grass in front of the Hatch Shell.

Kate Bullock and her niece McKenna Duggan waited on the Esplanade.

Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

Kate Bullock and her niece McKenna Duggan waited on the Esplanade.

Martha Murphy and her mother Jodie Murphy (right) used plastic bags while waiting out the rain.

Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

Martha Murphy and her mother Jodie Murphy (right) used plastic bags while waiting out the rain.

Sibel Ozcimen and her daughter Defne braced themselves for the rain.

Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

Sibel Ozcimen and her daughter Defne braced themselves for the rain.

Chantal Seng shielded herself from the rain.

Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

Chantal Seng shielded herself from the rain.

Ginger and Tom Evans shield waited on the Esplanade in the rain.

Keith Bedford/Globe Staff

Ginger and Tom Evans shield waited on the Esplanade in the rain.

Members of the 215th Army Band from Fall River entertained the crowd at the Esplanade.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Members of the 215th Army Band from Fall River entertained the crowd at the Esplanade.

Members of the State Police underwater recovery unit secured the shoreline along the Esplanade.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Members of the State Police underwater recovery unit secured the shoreline along the Esplanade.

John Myron, 17, of Berkley cleaned up his space as he waited for festivities to begin.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

John Myron, 17, of Berkley cleaned up his space as he waited for festivities to begin.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

A girl worked to secure a hammock on the Esplanade as a State Police boat floated past.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

National Guard members fired howitzers in preparation for the festivities.

People waited in line to stake their claim on the Esplanade early Saturday.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

People waited in line to stake their claim on the Esplanade early Saturday.

State Police worked inside the Unified Command Center in Boston.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

State Police worked inside the Unified Command Center in Boston.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Andrea Motyl, 23, of Westford waited in line at the Esplanade.

Penelope Morisette, 7, of Milton watched as her bag was checked on the Esplanade.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Penelope Morisette, 7, of Milton watched as her bag was checked on the Esplanade.

State Police kept a watchful eye from the Unified Command Center in Boston.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

State Police kept a watchful eye from the Unified Command Center in Boston.

 Tony Putz, 45, of Somerville took his chair through security on the Esplanade.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Tony Putz, 45, of Somerville took his chair through security on the Esplanade.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

People celebrated after staking their claim to a spot in the front row of the hatch shell.

?State Police have security well-covered on the Esplanade,? said Boston Police Commissioner William Evans.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

?State Police have security well-covered on the Esplanade,? said Boston Police Commissioner William Evans.

Megan Schinker, 13, of Stow, Ohio, sprawled out near the Hatch Shell.

Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Megan Schinker, 13, of Stow, Ohio, sprawled out near the Hatch Shell.

Revelers shield against rain to celebrate the Fourth

A number of security rules will affect what spectators can bring. A new one, added this year: a ban on drones.

The Declaration of Independence

?All men are created equal?

Read the document that changed the course of human history.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/06/30/BostonGlobe.com/BCOM/Images/Lee_fireworks1_met.jpg What?s open, closed on Fourth of July

Find out what stores are open and the operating times of the T.

Your guide to Boston?s July 4 fireworks

Keith Lockhart will celebrate his 20th year as conductor of the Pops at the 42d Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on July 4.

Andrea Motyl, 23, of Westford waited in line on the Charles River Esplanade to stake her claim to a spot on the oval for tonight's Fourth of July Celebration in Boston.

A cloudy July 4, with a chance of passing showers

Low pressure south of New England will keep skies mostly cloudy, with a chance of passing sprinkles in Boston.

Grilling recipes for Fourth of July weekend

Prepare a charcoal grill or turn a gas grill on for these long-weekend meals.

Want to escape the city? Three day trips to tranquility

These destinations in Groton, Walpole, and Newbury offer a chance for contemplation.

Treasures abound at the Wrentham Country Store.

With antiques, the thrill is in the hunt

Antiquers chart junkets to various hot spots from Waltham to Pembroke to Somerville in search of a deal on all things vintage, rare, and kitsch.

BOSTON, MA - JULY 4: Clay Buchholz #11 of the Boston Red Sox throws in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park on July 4, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

RED SOX 6, ASTROS 1

Clay Buchholz throws complete game in win over Astros

Buchholz gave up just six hits and struck out eight without a walk in his fifth straight win.

Plan for temporary Olympic stadium may be in Boston?s favor

The demountable stadium is a novel option under the IOC?s Agenda 2020, which has given host cities flexibility in venue choices.

A computer-generated composite image depicted the little girl whose body was found on Deer Island last week as she may have appeared in life.

Overwhelming public interest in Deer Island case

A police posting on Facebook that asked for help identifying the girl had over 30 million views by Saturday morning.

Jacques Lacombe and Kirill Gerstein perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on the Opening Night of the Tanglewood.

Tanglewood opens with all-American program

At the time of the piece?s creation, Carl Sandburg observed that ?the ideas of Lincoln fight the ideas of Hitler.?

New Bills coach Rex Ryan knows the Patriots quite well from his six seasons with the Jets.

SHALISE MANZA YOUNG | SUNDAY FOOTBALL NOTES

Sizing up AFC East?s top 10 offseason moves

A ranking of which moves made by the Patriots and their AFC East rivals could have the most impact.

The town has 37 miles of coastline and a population of 56,468 as of the 2010 US Census, a 15 percent increase since 2000.

Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

What?s behind the home buyer pilgrimage to Plymouth?

The development of the upscale Pinehills community helped kick things off, but downtown Plymouth has also seen a vigorous revitalization.

With the Mass. Pike already prone to backups, critics of hosting the Olympics say VIP trav-el lanes would only make things worse, But Boston 2024 says it can limit serious conflicts.

Fast lanes for athletes, VIPs part of Olympic plan

The IOC urges host cities to implement the fast lanes so athletes, media, and sponsors can count on reliable journey times.

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/07/04/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/baker150-8909.jpg Democrats now cast wary eye on Baker

Charlie Baker, a Republican elected governor by appealing to Democrats, has demonstrated how difficult it is to please everyone.

Sarah Norris, in a Craigville Beach parking lot, said she thought smoking was ?frowned upon,? rather than prohibited.

Cape towns ban beach smoking

Eight of Cape Cod?s 15 towns have banned smoking on the beach in response to complaints about fumes and litter.

Ground Game

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/07/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Images/2015-07-01T011327Z_1151802888_GF10000145120_RTRMADP_3_USA-ELECTION-TRUMP.jpg N.H. thinks Donald Trump is for real

Whether Trump is serious about running for president or just serious about publicity, his sudden support is hard to ignore.

Opinion

jeff jacoby

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2015/07/02/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/Jeff_Jacoby_150px-1228.jpg Jeff Jacoby: Preserving the patriots? faces

The classic American history painting captures a scene that never occurred.

The Big Picture

Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Globe photos of the month, June 2015

Here?s a look at some of the best images taken by Globe photographers last month.