Scenes: Elmo, Abby, and Rudy notice that the street is adorned with decorations for a special event, but they are unsure of the occasion. They ask Alan for information, and he tells them it's the Fourth of July, also known as America's birthday. The young friends decide to celebrate as they usually do for birthdays. They gather party hats, and Abby magically creates a flag-shaped birthday cake. Next, they need presents for America, but they can't leave the cake unattended. They enlist Cookie Monster to watch over it.
Elmo brings a puzzle, Abby has a stuffed animal, and Rudy offers socks as presents; they all agree that they need to find a better gift for the country. Grover passes by, searching for the ideal spot to view the fireworks later. He uses a map of the United States to help them find a suitable gift. Grover suggests a mountain as a great gift before returning to his search for a viewpoint. Alan and Charlie inform the group that the holiday isn't like typical birthdays; it's a celebration of the place they live in. The best way to honor the day, they explain, is to do something kind for their neighborhood.
The gang gathers everyone in the neighborhood to clean up a large pile of trash near the stoop, singing a patriotic song as they work. Afterward, Abby comes up with another kind gesture - giving all the collected trash to Oscar the Grouch. As they prepare to watch the fireworks, they realize they made a big mistake by leaving Cookie Monster in charge of their cake. They rush back to find Cookie, who proudly announces that he only ate half of the cake. Grover discovers the perfect spot to watch the fireworks, and friends and neighbors gather for the spectacular show.
Big Bird's Road Trip: Big Bird and Elmo watch a video message from their friend Mariah in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Elmo and friends sing and dance as they reveal the letter of the day - H.
Celebrity: Maren Morris joins Sesame Street friends to sing "Oops! Whoops! Wait, Ah-ha!"
Cookie Monster's Foodie Truck: A young girl orders a surprise birthday cake for her friend. When Cookie Monster and friends realize they're out of eggs, they go on a road trip to a chicken farm to restock. Once the cake is made, Cookie prepares to deliver it, but the girl reveals that the cake is for him, even though his birthday is next week - that's the surprise!
Elmo and Abby dress as astronauts and sing about discovering the number of the day by counting Martians. Today, they find 4 Martians.