Although many people already have plans scheduled for the holiday weekend, we know some of you will just be hanging around your hometown looking for the best local fireworks show. And, of course, there are always those last minute weekend planners who can use some help. So to everyone who falls in one of those last two categories, check out the following list of FREE 4th of July events taking place across the South. And, make sure to stop by your local Krystal after the fireworks show to enjoy an all-Amercian snack. Happy Independence Day!

ATLANTA, GA

Metro Atlanta has a number of spectacular fireworks shows for residents who live inside and outside the perimeter. Many of the following events feature fireworks, concerts, kid’s activities and more: Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead, Centennial Olympic Park, Stone Mountain Park, Downtown Decatur, and the Mall of Georgia in Buford.

BIRMINGHAM, AL
Check out the concerts and fireworks in Bartow Arena for the UAB Summer Band Annual Fourth of July Concert or the Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park Parade and Independence Day Celebration.

CHATTANOOGA, TN
Downtown Coolidge Park will host “Pops on the River”, an event featuring the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra and a fireworks show.

JACKSON, MS
The Cedars and Traceway Park will both have their own fireworks displays. If you want to get some shopping done as well, drop in at the Fourth of July Picnic at the Mississippi Craft Center, where you can hear live music, see fireworks and shop handmade arts and crafts.

JACKSONVILLE, FL
We suggest you “Go Fourth and Rock” with Pat Benatar and Richard Marx at Metropolitan Park, where you can also see a fireworks display over the river. You can also check out an oceanfront fireworks show at the SeaWalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach.

KNOXVILLE, TN
Join Lucas Richman and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra under the stars for the 25th Annual Pilot FREE Independence Day Concert. The concert is part of “Festival on the Fourth”, which is held at the World’s Fair Park and will feature music, family friendly activities, food vendors and a fireworks display.

MEMPHIS, TN
Celebrate the 4th on Beale Street at the “Red, White and Blues” event and then head over to Tom Lee Park where the fireworks show will be held. Germantown residents who don’t want to drive into the city can attend the Germantown Family Fourth Celebration.

NASHVILLE, TN
Take part in an annual Nashville tradition at the 25th Annual “Let Freedom Sing!” celebration at Riverfront Park. It will feature an amazing fireworks show, family activities, and entertainment including the Nashville Symphony.

ORLANDO, FL
Enjoy live entertainment, food, fanfare and a fantastic fireworks display this Saturday, July 4th at “Fireworks at the Fountain,” which is held at Lake Eola Park! Festivities begin at 4 p.m.

SAN ANTONIO, TX
Families are invited to the city’s free celebration with a day of fun-filled games, food and musical entertainment at Woodlawn Lake Park. The highlight of the festivities will be the H-E-B Fireworks Extravaganza starting at 9 p.m.

Wherever you end up, have a safe and happy holiday!

If you’re a Krystal Facebook Fan, then you may have already seen Diane Woods’ post showcasing her cell phone screen saver of the week: a photo of nine mouth-watering Famous Krystal Hamburgers. We believe Krystal Love like that definitely deserves a shout out from us here at Krystalist.

If you agree, give her a “Thumbs Up” on The Official Krystal Lover Community Facebook Page. Or even better, take your own Krystal photo to personalize your cell phone screen saver and share it with us here on Krystalist.com or on Facebook.

And while you’re there, make sure to become an official Facebook Fan in preparation for our celebration of National Hamburger Month, starting tomorrow on NationalHamburgerMonth.com. You won’t want to miss it!

Krystal Lover, Julia Andrews, commented on a recent Krystalist post telling us that she eats at Krystal so often that when pulling up to the drive thru all she has to say is “the usual” and the Krystal staff knows her order by heart!

Andrews went on to say that this is one of the many reasons why her favorite Krystal location is in Cool Springs, Tenn. So here’s a shout out to Andrews for sharing her Krystal excitement and to all the employees at the Krystal restaurant in Cool Springs for their great customer service!

We’d love to hear from you as well. Tell us which Krystal restaurant you favor and why. You never know, your story might just get you into this year’s Hall of Fame and featured right here on Krystalist.com.

This week The Krystal Company announced that Rus Morris is the 2008 Krystal Franchise General Manager of the Year. Celebrating his seventh successful year as general manager of the Prattville, Ala. Krystal, Morris is recognized for his commitment to Krystal standards, operational excellence and employee training.

Krystalist joins Krystal in saying, “Congratulations to Morris, owner Gene Montgomery and the entire Prattville team!” And, if you’re in the Prattville area, be sure to stop by Krystal and applaud Morris for his great achievement in person.

Read more about Morris and his award here at the Krystalist Newsroom.

We’ve really got to get over this alliteration obsession, huh? It’s just so tempting, especially on Friday. I mean, everyone likes to have a little fun on Friday, right? That’s why we saved our Fun Football Facts for the last day of Krystal’s “Super Bowl Sunday Suggestions” series. How can you not get in the spirit after reading some of these crazy statements?

Super Bowl Sunday Suggestion #5
Get in the spirit! Armed with these wacky findings, you’ll be THAT guy/gal at the game who knows a little too much trivia for comfort. Some say annoying. We say awesome. Eat that, all you non-Krystal lovers out there. See what you’re missing out on by not reading Krystalist everyday.

Did you know…

• The first football ever used was round.
• No NFL team that plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Super Bowl.
• Only 2 players can use their feet to move the football, Kickers and Punters.
• In 1916 Georgia Tech’s football team beat Cumberland U., 222-0. WOW!
• It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year’s supply of footballs.
• When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers play football at home, the stadium becomes the state’s third largest city.
• Players’ jersey numbers are assigned based upon their positions:

1 to 19 for quarterbacks and kickers
20 to 49 for running backs and defensive backs
50 to 59 for centers and linebackers
60 to 79 for linemen
80 to 89 for wide receivers and tight ends
Centers may also be assigned numbers up to 79 and defensive linemen and linebackers, 90 to 99
Defensive players can have any number

• Tight pants are part of the football uniform so that when players are running no one can grab their pants to stop them.
• Herman Moore holds the NFL record for the most pass receptions in a single season.
• The home team must provide the referee with 24 footballs for each National Football League game.
• The Green Bay Packers were the first team to win the first two Super Bowls; the years were 1967 and 1968. It took them 30 years to win the Super Bowl again.

We know there are more great facts to be heard, so feel free to send them our way. In the mean time, we’ll leave you with this final Super Bowl Sunday Suggestion from Krystal – ENJOY THE GAME ON SUNDAY!

It’s day four of Krystalist’s “Super Bowl Sunday Suggestions” and as promised, we’re highlighting football stats of each Super Bowl team from this past season to help you predict this year’s winner.

Super Bowl Suggestion #4
Study the stats and pick a winner. You can’t watch a football game without having a team to root for, so this post is dedicated to all those non-Steelers and non-Cardinal fans out there that just can’t decide who they want to win. We say, don’t pity the underdog – go for the gold. Or yellow, that is. Looks like the Steelers are favored to win.

Regular Season Per Game Averages

Think our prediction is wrong? Tell us why. The only thing we’re partial to is Krystal, so as long as you’re eating some of those scrumptious little, square hamburgers during the game, we don’t care who wins!

This Sunday, most of the country will either be preparing for, betting on (just friendly, cashless wagers of course) and/or watching the Super Bowl. And Krystalist is here to make game day (and game week) even better. Hence, the beginning of our week-long “Super Bowl Sunday Suggestions” from Krystal. Yeah, we got a little carried away with the alliteration didn’t we?

Super Bowl Suggestion #1

Watch the Super Bowl from home. Sure it may be fun to make all your friends jealous as you Facebook status or Tweet the Super Bowl live from Raymond James Stadium, but there are tons of reasons why it’s better to watch the game from the comfort of your own home.

Here are our top 10 reasons why:

10. It’s cheap, and let’s face it, even when the economy is great, the cost of a game ticket alone is enough to break most people’s banks.

9. Your favorite couch or sofa chair is much more comfortable than a stadium bleacher seat.

8. Your high definition TV shows way more detail than the stadium’s big screen.

7. There’s no waiting in traffic for hours before and after the game.

6. You can host your own game day party for the same price of a beer and pretzel at the stadium (well almost!).

5. You don’t have to wait in long lines for the bathroom.

4. You don’t have to sit next to that annoying fan that yells obscenities in your ear and spills beer all over your favorite football jersey (unless you have a friend like that, and if you do, you may want to lose them).

3. You can choose your own half-time entertainment (more later on fun things to do during half-time).

2. You get to watch all the great Super Bowl commercials (isn’t that why most of us watch the game?).

1. And last but not least, you can enjoy your favorite Krystal food while watching the game.

Okay, now that we have you convinced to stay home – you must read tomorrow’s post about how to throw the best Krystal-themed game day party possible. And stay tuned for some fun football facts and stats later this week.

Have any more reasons why it’s better to stay home? We’d love to hear them. Until tomorrow…

If you’re reading this post, chances are that you’re a Krystal Lover just like us. As advocates for anything Krystal related, it’s no wonder that we’ve written thousands of phrases to encapsulate the exact feeling and experience of biting into a Krystal Hamburger. Something that great is hard to put into words, but we’d love for you to take a stab at it. So all you verbal geniuses out there, give us the chance to read your version of the perfect Krystal experience. No rules apply!

Need help getting started? Take a look at this recent description we found on Mavinator’s Weblog…

“It starts with a nice little square bun and a little square hamburger patty.  The buns are steamed with the meat on them so that the delicious juices from the meat soak into the bun.  Then little cooked onions, pickles, and mustard are added.  It’s probably the closest thing to heaven that can be found here on earth!”

Ahh, we’re getting hungry already. To read more, check out his full article here. Now, stop dilly-dallying and start paying homage to the Krystal fast food gods! We’ll be doing our part – off to get a Krystal midday snack.  We just can’t get enough of those MilkQuakes!

We wish everyone a safe and fun-filled last day of 2008!

If Krystal is a part of your celebration tonight, and why would it not, may we recommend ordering up some Krystal Steamer Packs — that’s a box of 24, delicious, mouthwatering Krystal hamburgers. Or in other words, a Krystal party in a box, perfect for late night feasting!

And if you want to spice things up, we suggest kicking things off tonight with the Spicy Southern Chik Basket with Fiesta Waffle Fries. This is our new favorite meal, and what a meal it is. Perfectly spicy from the first bite, and all you need to fill your tummy before a night out on the town. Watch our video on this limited time item from the Krystal Test Kitchen here.

Thanks for visiting Krystalist.com this year. We appreciate you keeping posted of all things Krystal-related here, and we’re excited to get going in 2009 as we have some exciting news over the coming months, including great, new menu additions, new promotions and new restaurant openings. As always, stay posted here at Krystalist.com.

Again, Happy New Year and celebrate safely.