After the parade, most in the crowd found their way to Defender Field for the second day of the US Independence Day party. Music was provided by Cool Cats, the country and western group Country Squires, Petticoat, the rock group, and Ed Davis. Headlining was the legendary group, the Pointer Sisters, celebrating their 21st year in show business. The 298th Army band performed as a full band and in a scaled-down size for jazz and rock performances. A US Army paratrooper team dropped in four times, and a military memorabilia display included a fleet of World War II-era vehicles. Food available ranged from chili dogs and ribs to corn-on-the-cob and ice cream as well as drinks with or without a kick. When the party had ended, and the Pointer Sisters appeared, Marc Daniel Ergenzinger tried for the third time that day to secure the sisters’ autographs on their latest album. Finally, he obtained two signatures, not perfect, he said, but a happy ending anyway. “I love almost anything American,” Ergenzinger said. “I grew up just 100 meters from the back gate at McNair and thus fell in love with the American culture.” That’s not surprising, for most Berliners, building friendships with Americans has become, well, totally automatic.