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June is just about behind us, the Independence Day holiday lies just ahead and we're heavily into the presidential campaign season, which means that the colors red, white and blue will be sure to dominate many things around us.
We saw it during Thursday's presidential debate, where the stage was designed to serve as a reminder that come November, either Joseph Robinette Biden or Donald John Trump will be elected to their second term in the White House. Even the clothes worn by the candidates were tied into the theme.
This is a time of year when patriotism can be found on full display all around us. And for just reason -- the country is coming up on its 248th birthday, a milestone it will reach Thursday, despite having run into many difficulties along the way.
Which brings up an interesting question: Where does our Tri-State Area fall when you look at the rankings of the most patriotic states?
Well, according to numbers compiled by WalletHub, we stand among the lower half of the 50 states.
Ohio ranks 29th overall on the list put together by the Washington, D.C.-based personal financial website. Pennsylvania comes in at 40th, while West Virginia stands at 41st.
The Buckeye State ranks 34th in military engagement and 23rd in civic engagement. Pennsylvania, meanwhile, stands 45th in military engagement and 29th in civic engagement, and West Virginia is 32nd in military engagement and 39th in civic engagement.
Survey results were put together using a 13-point metric that includes military enlistees, veterans and the share of adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election.
Virginia is the most patriotic state, with Arkansas coming in as the least patriotic. West Virginia ranked near the bottom of a couple of categories: It was 49th in percentage of adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election and tied for 49th with North Dakota in the number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita.
Depending on your point of view, the most interesting finding in the survey just might be this: Blue states graded out as being more patriotic than Red states.
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As with every holiday, food will play a prominent role in how we celebrate the Fourth of July. In fact, WalletHub reports Americans will spend $9.4 billion just on food for their celebrations. That includes one of the top treats for summer -- and all year, in fact -- ice cream.
That's what makes another survey that arrived this week timely. And, the numbers compiled by Affordable Seating show that America's top five flavors are Neapolitan, vanilla, Superman, spumoni and rocky road.
Our region is split, the survey from the Chicago-based manufacturer and wholesaler of restaurant furniture, found. In Ohio and West Virginia, the top five flavors are the same: Superman, Neapolitan, blue moon, vanilla and spumoni. The only difference is that blue moon and vanilla trade places in West Virginia.
Pennsylvania has different tastes: It's five favorites are neapolitan, vanilla, moose tracks, chocolate and rocky road.
The numbers were gathered based on Google search data for more than 100 different ice cream flavors across each state.
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The Fourth of July also is a time when we like to travel.
According to the AAA, that certainly will be the case during this extended holiday period, which runs from Saturday through July 7.
Projections say a record 70.9 million travelers will go 50 miles or so from their home during that time. That's 5 percent higher than last year and an 8 percent increase over 2019 numbers. Estimates show that 60.6 million people are expected to travel by car during that period, with the busiest days for travel being Friday, June 29 and July 3.
With that in mind, it's interesting to note that another WalletHub survey has ranked the best and worst states for summer road trips. Ohio is sixth on the list, while Pennsylvania is 10th and West Virginia is 38th
Ohio comes in at 10th on access to scenic byways, 11th in nightlife options per capita, 17th in number of attractions and 19th in vehicle miles traveled per capita. Pennsylvania, meanwhile, is eighth in nightlife options per capita and vehicle miles traveled per capita, 12th in number of attractions and 25th in access to scenic byways.
West Virginia is 27th in access to scenic byways, 40th in nightlife options per capita, 50th in number of attractions and 14th in vehicle miles traveled per capita.
West Virginia is third in the number of car thefts per capita, while Pennsylvania is 14th and Ohio 27th.
Looking at a few of the metrics used to reach the total, Ohio is second lowest in the average cost of car repairs and West Virginia third in the price of camping.
Texas claimed the top overall spot, while Delaware took the bottom spot.
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Overall, our region is a pretty good place to celebrate the holiday. WalletHub says Pittsburgh is the 21st best place to mark Independence Day. Los Angeles ranked first after the numbers surrounding 18 metrics, which included the price of beer and wine as well as the holiday weather forecast, were crunched. Birmingham, Ala., was last.
Also in our region, Columbus ranked 30th and Cleveland 68th.
Some numbers to think about as the long holiday week begins.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times)