With his eyes closed, one hand over his heart and another clutching a miniature American flag, Phil Hoz seemed deep in trance Saturday when the U.S. Navy Band belted out “Proud to be an American” at a July 4 celebration.

“This means a heck of a lot,” he said when the song ended. “This is the greatest country on earth.”

Hoz, a U.S. Marine who served 1953 to 1956 at the end of the Korean War, was one of more than 500 who listened to patriotic tunes and New Orleans style Jazz at the Old Fashion Family Fourth of July Celebration at Bogue Falaya Wayside Park in Covington Saturday night.

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From 6 to 9 p.m., kids playing tag darted in between parents and friends, family members sipped home brought wine and ate cheese, and the entire crowd paid tribute to America’s independence from England in 1776.

Although July 4 isn’t until Friday, local men and women and even attendees from outside the state gathered to remember their heritage.

“I just appreciate the fact that our lives are relatively untouched because our guys are breaking their necks for everybody else,” said Travis Riddle, a former St. Tammany Parish resident and jazz musician forced to move to Lewisburg, S.C., after Hurricane Katrina.

Riddle returned home to Covington this weekend to visit family members and remember his friends fighting in Iraq. He hoped his peaceful return home would mirror his fighting friends’ path back to American soil.

Gail Case, wearing red, white and blue Mardi Gras beads, red pants and a white “Proud to be American” T-shirt, agreed.

“You have to go out and show how proud you are to be an American,” she said.

Looking at Hoz, that support was evident. Donned in a red, white and blue polo dress shirt with stars on the sleeve made to mirror the American flag, Hoz stood quietly watching the fireworks display at the end of the night. Afterwards, he turned and spoke.

“We fight for this,” he said. “We’re going to keep it straight, keep it free. Free for my grandchildren to live like I have lived all these years. God bless America.”