It seems Nashville, Tennessee, and New York are going to battle this year over who will have the nation’s best firework display.
The Macy’s firework show in New York is estimated to have ordered 54,000 shells for 2015 compared with the 2014 show, which used 40,000 effects in a 25-minute massive display. It has been reported that Nashville ordered more than New York this year — a good-natured, old-fashioned rivalry.
Sometimes the best fireworks are the neighbors’ or the shows you can see from your own backyard.
Last Saturday evening, we watched quite a fireworks display in Camby looking west from our bay window. From our backyard, looking south over the cow field, we could see the highest of the Mallow Run Winery fireworks in Bargersville.
One of my favorite Fourth of July firework memories is taking my youngest brother Chris to downtown Indianapolis with a friend when I was in high school. I was about 17, and Chris was barely 3. I quickly found out my baby brother did not like the loud racket the fireworks were making. He cried much of the evening as he buried his cupped little toddler hands over his ears.
Leaving early before the fireworks ended seemed like a fitting idea to spare Chris’ little ears any more discomfort, but unfortunately my friend’s car battery died and couldn’t be jumped. We were driven home by a nice police officer — all the way to Greenwood and past Chris’ bedtime.
Maybe I remember because we have an old photo from around 1970 when our Texas cousins came up and spent the Fourth of July evening with us. We sat shoulder-to-shoulder with our hands supporting and cupped under faces as we looked skyward — you can see the colors of the fireworks reflected in our eyes. Our front porch looked south toward the old U.S. 31 drive-in theater in Greenwood, where we could almost hear the audio of the movies from our yard, but definitely had a perfect view of the firework display.
