July 4, 2006
This entry was posted on 7/4/2006 11:04 PM and is filed under Holidays.
I live in the deep blue heart of a purple state and you can think whatever you like about that, but my whole neighborhood goes apeshit over the fourth of July.
Here in the land of ten thousand lakes, we're not exactly encouraged by the state to have fun. The powers that be frown on high diving boards, biking without a helmet on, smoking in bars and fireworks. If it's fun, you can bet there's a law prohibiting it.
Turns out my enitre neighborhood is peopled with scofflaws. God bless them, and God Bless America!
There were at least four different groups setting off combustibles at the park across the street, and we're NOT talking about the lamo "fireworks" you can buy at Target. We're talking the kind of contraband you have to make a pilgrimage to Wisconsin for.
The good stuff.
The expensive stuff.
About three years ago, someone on the other side of the park began setting off his own firework displays that outlasted and out performed the Edina City Fireworks that we can see from our front yard. This show was so good and so huge that we figured it couldn't be one guy but that the entire block must have chipped in. We invited friends over to watch. They loved it so much that they decided to come back.
This year, we had about ten friends and neighbors perched atop our hill, watching the Centennial lakes show from Edina (Once a year I'm actually happy about the ten elm trees in the middle of the park that were lost to Dutch Elm Disease), the St. Louis Park show, the park neighborhood show and at least three more groups of folks from around the park setting off their own displays. It was spectacular and lasted from just after dusk until midnight.
I'm not talking sparklers and bottle rockets, here. I'm talking big, screaming plumes of fire that lit up the night sky. I'm talking rocket's red glare and dawn's early light. I'm talking FOURTH OF JULY, BABY!
It's nice to know that even in as beauracratically hidebound a town as Minneapolis, the cops know enough to just get out of the way and let America celebrate it's birthday.
Happy 230th, America. You look fabulous!
