On the morning of July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress took one of the most important steps in the creation of this nation by voting to adopt the Declaration of Independence, removing the colonies from the rule of Great Britain.

File photo Fireworks explode over the aircraft carrier Midway during last year's Fourth of July celebration.

As an anniversary worth celebrating, that's hard to beat, and as a place to hold that celebration, it's hard to beat the USS Midway Museum, which has been hosting July 4 festivities since 2004.

“We're expecting 3,000 plus visitors,” said Scott McGaugh, Midway marketing director. “We started getting e-mail requests for this year's celebration last August.”

And this year, “A Celebration of America” offers a rare chance to visit a slice of history: On view all day and evening will be one of the first copies of the Declaration, created to send the news to the colonies on that long-ago July 4th.

DETAILS A Celebration of America When: Tomorrow, 6 p.m. Where: USS Midway Museum, alongside Navy Pier on the Embarcadero, downtown San Diego Tickets: Event is sold out, but the museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with admission $10-$17 Online: midway.org

There also will be a special free exhibit of the document Saturday (July 5) at The New Children's Museum at 200 W. Island Ave.

The document is part of the Cricket Wireless Declaration Road Trip 2008, a touring multimedia exhibit. Doug Hutcheson, Cricket's CEO, says his company joined with the nonpartisan organization Declare Yourself to sponsor the exhibit “to help (people) understand the importance of independence, freedom, and the right to vote.”

Myriad celebrities and entertainers will be on hand for the evening celebration, with David Hernandez and a “surprise” fellow “American Idol” finalist among the performers. Also performing will be MTV's band The Material, slam poets Steve Connell and Sekou Andrews, poetess Lindsay Halladay and a DJ from Magic 92.5 FM.

The finale will include musical and video tributes to 232 military veterans. The number was chosen in recognition of the 232nd anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration.

And to cap it all off, the Big Bay Fireworks Show will light up the sky, a spectacular conclusion to a birthday party for us all.