Who doesn’t like fireworks? The brilliant colors, the amazing designs, the special effects all combine to make an awe-inspiring display. Among our other traditional ways of celebrating the Fourth of July, fireworks are almost a requirement for this classic American holiday.
I remember, as a kid, getting in the car, heading over to a nearby playground or park, spreading our blankets on the ground, and getting ready for the show. Things started out slowly, with a single burst at a time, and got progressively more elaborate. Soon, starburst fireworks, groups of shooting rockets, and my favorite, pinwheels, lightened the night sky. The grand finale was always spectacular, with many explosions going off at once.
As we grew up, our fascination with these amazing displays didn’t lessen. Perhaps we found a location where the shows were particularly elaborate, but the format was always similar to the format first seen when we were kids.
Eventually, if we had children, we introduced them to the excitement and wonder of the pyrotechnics. We taught them to cover their ears if the noise frightened them, but we could see how entranced they were by the blues, purples, reds, greens, and golds that painted the sky. In this way, we shared with our kids the same joys that we experienced as children.
Perhaps, if we were lucky enough to be near an ice cream stand, we could nibble on a cone while the show went on. What could be better than that?
The ultimate fireworks shows incorporated live music into the mix. I remember the first time that I got to see a 4th of July show in which an orchestra, on a barge across the river, played the music from the Royal Fireworks by Handel, synched to be perfectly in time with the explosions. I was in heaven!!!
Throughout our 4th of July fireworks experiences I suspect that few of us thought of the sacrifices that had been made by Revolutionary War soldiers to bring us the freedom to become a nation. Young men lost their lives on a battlefield so that we could, one day, have a picnic and look at fireworks as we celebrated our nation’s birthday.
How many of us have actually realized that fireworks were omnipresent during the war for Independence? Battles were fought with cannons and explosions that peppered the night sky with flashes of fire. These sights weren’t beautiful; they were terrifying to those on the battlefields. Oftentimes, they were the last things that the soldiers saw before their lives were cut short by the explosions.
On this, the 245th anniversary of the founding of America, as we celebrate our joy at becoming an independent nation, I’d like to ask everyone to remember the sacrifices of those who died creating an America, and of those who have died in the years since defending us from threats to our safety and our way of life. I’d also like to hope that we , and our children, and our children’s children can continue to live in health, and safety, able to watch, with those we love, the amazing beauty of fireworks on the 4th of July!
So, let’s cue up the music, settle down on our blankets or lawn chairs, eat our cones, and watch the show!!
Mike Snyder
