This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things on the Fourth of July
By StacyB
@Srbageldog (7716)
United States
July 1, 2017 11:50pm CST
When I was a kid, the Fourth of July was my second favorite holiday (my first favorite being Halloween.) I couldn't wait for the fireworks booths to pop up around town, or the big day when we would have barbecue, watermelon, rootbeer floats, and gather out in the yard next to the street and watch my dad set off fireworks.
Once I got older the holiday lost some of its magic. When I was a teen we started going to the little man-made lake in the town across the river from us, where they held the local fireworks display. Tens of thousands of people would gather there to see the fireworks. This was our tradition for some years, until the Fourth of July when I was 20. That year a donor had given the city a million dollars worth of fireworks and it was billed as the biggest, best display ever. About 10 minutes into the show, the fireworks and accompanying music abruptly stopped, and police started ushering all of us out of the area, although nobody on our side of the lake knew what was going on. As we were leaving we overheard other people hollering about how mortars had been shot out into the crowd and some teenage girl got her leg blown off.
Which is, unfortunately, what happened. The volunteer firefighters who were in charge of the display had been drinking and ended up shooting mortars out into the crowd. A 15 year old girl lost her leg, while other people around her were hit with shrapnel. I wasn't the least bit surprised this happened, because the year before we had witnessed a mortar shoot past us in the crowd and flames kept raining down on people because the fireworks weren't being shot off properly. This is what happens when good ol' boys are left in charge of the fireworks display and spend the day at the lake drinking beforehand.
Anyway, the city lost its permit for hosting fireworks displays, and that was the last time we ever had a proper Fourth of July celebration. Now people smuggle illegal fireworks up from Mexico and the sky is always filled with those going off over residential neighborhoods on the Fourth. My parents' neighbors always launch illegal fireworks off right over my parents' house, which makes it a stressful evening as you're constantly worrying that the house is going to catch on fire.
This year our city is supposed to be cracking down on the illegal fireworks by imposing a $1000 fine to anyone caught launching them, but we'll see how that goes.
I miss the days when the Fourth of July was magical and didn't involve a bunch of stupid drunk people blowing things up. This is why we can never have nice things.
9 people like this
7 responses
@andriaperry (116936)
• Anniston, Alabama
2 Jul 17
We have things in common, Halloween being my number 1 favorite holiday and the 4th, number 2 favorite.
Picnics at the park was what we did with my dad for so many years, now he is gone so I go to the lake here and watch the fireworks. No drinking allowed and I do not think I recall anyone getting hurt.
3 people like this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
2 Jul 17
Picnics at the park sound fun. I miss going to the lake to watch the fireworks, but our city (or rather the neighboring city) is too irresponsible to properly host them. Before they had them at the lake, they would shoot them off at the river bottom, but that ended when some people got run over by a train trying to cross the train tracks that ran across the levee.
2 people like this
@crossbones27 (49491)
• Mojave, California
2 Jul 17
Indeed, they cannot do anything other than neighbors reporting and no one wants to be a snitch. Mindsets need to change. Big booms do nothing for me, but of course was in the military. Some people get their kicks off that.
2 people like this
@crossbones27 (49491)
• Mojave, California
2 Jul 17
@Srbageldog Yeah another reason we do not call, but do know others have called was quiet for about 2 days..
2 people like this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
2 Jul 17
@crossbones27 I've known police officers who set off illegal fireworks themselves, so pretty sure they're not going to bust people over it. It's been surprisingly quiet this weekend, maybe people are laying low since our city is threatening to fine them $1000 if they get caught.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
2 Jul 17
My sister and I have called the cops on my parents' neighbors a couple times when they were shooting them off right over the house, but the cops never do anything about it. I don't care for the loud booms either, and I know they scare some people and animals. My cat is always traumatized on the Fourth. Thanks for your service in the military.
2 people like this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
2 Jul 17
I remember going to our local airport and my mother getting out the big blanket for us to all sit on. We would cover our ears because the sound was so loud. We loved it. Then for some reason, it all came to an end. Not sure why we never went again. I do know that the venue changed over the years.
It is illegal to set off fireworks without a permit in our state. People still do without one though. Some lack common sense when it comes to safety and I stay clear of those who set them off.
2 people like this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
2 Jul 17
@Srbageldog haha, that is true.
I think road accidents manage to kill more locals than any terrorist ever will achieve.
2 people like this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
2 Jul 17
I agree. Although with so many idiots blowing things up on the Fourth of July, it seems we are doing a good job of killing ourselves. :/
2 people like this
@lookatdesktop (27134)
• Dallas, Texas
4 Jul 17
Last night, the 3rd of July went off with fireworks going off all around our neighborhood and later celebratory gunfire. It happens that way in Dallas, Texas. And rain was in the overnight forecast so many thought it was best to blow things up a day early. I wanted to tell them off but the only thing I did was put up with them. No use calling police, they already know what's what. They don't bother cause they have homicides and overdoses and car accidents to deal with 24/7.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
6 Jul 17
@lookatdesktop Sometimes it's the off duty officers shooting off the illegal fireworks...I knew one who did that anyway. So of course the cops are just going to look the other way.
@lookatdesktop (27134)
• Dallas, Texas
5 Jul 17
@Srbageldog , I used to call police but I have learned my lesson. If they cared they would do something about it. they just don't care.It is not on their top priorities list.
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67083)
• United States
2 Jul 17
I hope the neighbors don't do it anymore.
2 people like this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
2 Jul 17
I hope they don't either. They are pretty to watch from a distance but not when they're right overhead and there's no way to control where they'll land.
2 people like this
@Courtlynn (67083)
• United States
2 Jul 17
@Srbageldog exactly. Thata why professionals should do them on/off beaches lkke they normally do here not on land or by normal people
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12290)
• United States
17 Jul 17
Ah, the magic of childhood. I remember those days well, we usually sat outside on the hood of my parent's car and watch them being set off in the next town over, my dad would pop some popcorn and we'd just watch. I remember people illegally setting them off in our town, which out there it was difficult to catch anyone because by the time a cop was able to get out there the people were already done. It is dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.
We have laws here where you can't set them off here without a permit or license or whatever it is you need to set them off, but I heard that law is about to expire soon so here soon I have a bad feeling bad things will be happening unless they reinstate the law. My sister had a big 4th of July party a couple years ago where my nephew went and bought a bunch of the bigger fireworks and they set off fireworks on their property which they own a few acres and their neighbors have a pond that they set them off by, my sister's boyfriend works for the city and he got a permit and they played it safe, but the show was amazing.
1 person likes this
