HOORAY! for the RED, WHITE and BLUE Decking out the back yard for the Fourth? Try something elegant and easy

You’re a grand old flag, you’re a high-flying flag. But I don’t want you flying – or lying – on my table.

Sorry.

I’m all for decking out the back yard for a holiday party, and the Fourth of July weekend provides plenty of barbecue and lobster bake opportunities. But some of the flag-emblazoned things I’ve seen out there are downright tacky. Even the nice ones are a one-shot deal.

Instead of hemming yourself into Americana this year, why not stock up on red, white and blue decorations that you can use throughout the summer? You can find them everywhere, from Target to T.J’s, The Grasshopper Shop to Monroe Salt Works.

I skipped the stars and stripes in favor of checks on a picnic-perfect ’50s style tablecloth and accoutrements at Target. Kitschy? Perhaps. Tacky? Mais non. And the best part is, each item only costs a buck.

Target is a veritable gold mine of summer schwag. Need to keep your beer or soda cool? Check out the red enamel beverage bucket for $12.95. Lacking a centerpiece? Throw some lupines in Target’s tall blue flower pail and call it good. It’s a long weekend – don’t make more work for yourself than you need to.

That said, it’s easy to work with whatever you have in your cabinets and throw in a few accents here and there. Break out your white plates and add splashes of red and blue here and there.

The adorable red and white checked bowls, platters and accessories at The Grasshopper Shop in Bangor and Searsport are a great way to start – the pattern looks like a tablecloth with little ants marching across it. They’re just the thing for summer, especially if you have a good sense of humor.

For something a little more elegant, I’m wild about the blue and white floral platters at The Grasshopper, as well. At $46.95, they’re an investment, but a versatile one. They’re as appropriate holding a cake for a February birthday as for holding burgers at an Independence Day barbecue.

Sure, fireworks will light up the Bangor skyline on Monday, but you need more than that to keep your dinner table illuminated – especially outdoors. Remember the time your vegan friend snagged a Hebrew National when she meant to grab a Tofu Pup? Of course you do, because she never let you hear the end of it. Proper lighting will eliminate these pesky problems.

Everyone at the Bangor Daily News who has seen the $4.99 paper lanterns I picked up at Target wants them – they’re available in red and blue with a floral pattern, and they’re battery-operated, which makes them ideal for a backyard barbecue. Need a home for your ugly citronella candles? Fill Target’s $1 pails, available in The One Spot, with sand and stick torches in them. Or, better yet, buy the handsome ramekins at World Over Imports ($5), fill ’em with sand (they’re plastic, so this step is essential) and pop a votive on top. Pick up the matching plates and tote bag, while you’re at it. They may be striped, but there’s not a star in sight.

Of course, those ramekins would also work well holding butter at a lobster bake. If you’re having guests from out of state, it won’t hurt to work the Maine lobster angle. The puppetlike wine cozy at The Grasshopper Shop is a cute, if tongue-in-cheek, way to dress up the table ($10.95). An adorable option is the Maine-made lobster bib for babies – even if they can’t crack a crustacean yet, they can still join in the fun.

And fun is what the Fourth of July weekend is all about. Eat. Drink. Be merry. And by all means, fly your flag. Just don’t use it as a tablecloth.

We have a winner – or two

Hats off – or on – to Ramona Cesare of Millinocket and Dorothy Damon of Eddington, winners of the ShopGirl June Giveaway. Ramona will receive a pair of pink Old Navy flip-flops and a reversible sun hat, and Dorothy will be gardening in style with new floral clogs and a reversible sun hat. The next contest will appear in early July, so keep reading, and as always, happy shopping!

ShopGirl would love to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions by e-mail to: kandresen@bangordailynews.net, by U.S. mail to: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329, or by fax to: 941-9476. Tune in to ShopGirl at 5 p.m. Fridays on WLBZ-2.