"Americana" is a term that describes things that are most often associated with America, hence why the Village's Americana Days comes the weekend after the 4th of July. Ever heard the phrase "As American as apple pie?" Even though the treat has its origins in another country, it is most closely linked to American heritage.
The many aspects that make up Americana-such as art, history, music, and cooking, among other things-also create expectations for visitors. Take, for example, the poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, which is inscribed on the inside of the Statue of Liberty:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
This sonnet perpetuates the American Dream: The idea that America can be a good home where anyone can succeed through hard work. Though the poem was written in 1883, its ideals still draw people to America today.
The many aspects that make up Americana-such as art, history, music, and cooking, among other things-also create expectations for visitors. Take, for example, the poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, which is inscribed on the inside of the Statue of Liberty:
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
This sonnet perpetuates the American Dream: The idea that America can be a good home where anyone can succeed through hard work. Though the poem was written in 1883, its ideals still draw people to America today.