Up Close and Personal Fireworks Display

The family and a couple of the kids' friends stopped at Subway to pick up sandwiches and drinks. They were only a few blocks from Cascades Park where the fireworks display would be held. It would be several hours before the 'bombs bursting in air' would start, but they wanted to get a good spot to watch.

When they arrived at Cascades there were a few other people there early also, but nothing compared to the crowds that would pour in later. The family spread a blanket just a few feet from the yellow caution tape that sectioned off the area where the fireworks would be set off. They took their time eating and watched as groups of people filled in the spaces next to and behind them, bringing with them blankets, lawn chairs, and coolers.

A slight breeze caused the caution tape to flicker while the stream that runs through the park provided a spot for geese and ducks to voice their opinions from time to time. The man-made waterfalls built into the hill, the main feature of the park, were circulating water as the surrounding fountains shot water into the air. The breeze occasionally sent a mist of cool water towards the family. It was peaceful and relaxing, but not for long.

The air began to fill with the smells of hot dogs, elephant ears, cotton candy and buttered popcorn from the vendors who had moved their trailers into the park. Music could be heard from the other side of the park where a local radio station broadcast the evening's events. The drone of voices from thousands of people now filled the park. Cascades Park was alive with activity and anticipation.

Anticipation grew as the sun began to set behind the tree line, and the crowd along with the family looked towards the top of the waterfall. Everyone knew the fireworks were about to begin, but no one knew exactly which second. The first blast from behind the falls brought almost a sigh of relief from the crowd. The fireworks display was beginning.

A round of ohhs and ahhs erupted with each burst of light from the top of the hill and even more when the resulting explosion filled the night sky with the sparkling lights of the fireworks. There were white, yellow, green, blue, pink, and mixed colors of light. As the breeze picked up, however, the family realized maybe their observation spot wasn't the greatest.

The old saying, "what goes up must come down" is true even for fireworks. Although it was spectacular lying on the blanket looking up at the fireworks exploding directly above them, there was a drawback. At first they thought someone was throwing things at them, but after a few minutes they realized - the fireworks were burning out in the air but dropping charred chunks of debris right on them!

Other groups around them experienced the same thing: "the sky is falling, the sky is falling" was not a children's fable, it was really happening. A lady sitting in a lawn chair nearby pulled out an umbrella. It was a great idea except for one thing. While protecting herself from the fireworks leftovers, she was also blocking her view of the display. But it didn't matter; most everyone in the vicinity of the caution tape was missing the fireworks. If you looked up you risked being hit in the face with firework droppings or getting some of the burned-out splendor in your eyes.

No one was injured that night at Cascades Park, but after that experience the kids in the family never again complained about watching the annual fireworks display from a distance. Being up close and personal is not a good thing when it involves things falling from the sky right on top of you. Being bombed by debris is not nearly as much fun as watching them bursting in the air.