4th of July Parade

Posted on July 4, 2020 by vanbraman

Tonight as I sit in my office feeling like I am in a war zone I am thinking of 4th of July parades from when I was growing up in Kansas.

4th of July Parade, Bicycles, Wagon, Small town parade, Independence day paradeWhen you grow up in a small town you get the opportunity to participate in a lot of things you wouldn’t in a big city. The 4th of July parade was always a lot of fun. In the picture above I am pulling a wagon with the little girl from across the street as a passenger.

4th of July parade, boy scouts, honor guard, small town, ashland, kansasThere were several years when I was part of the honor guard as a boy scout. Here we are following Betsy Ross in the parade.

Ashland, Kansas, parade, 4th of JulyHere is another picture that was taken a few moments earlier. You can see the parade being led by a police car, and following us was the old fire truck. For the rest of the day the volunteer firemen would drive around town spraying people with the fire hose.

World's Largest Turtule Race, Ashland, Kansas, 4th of July, Turtle Race, Small TownThere were many events on the 4th of July in our small town, including what was billed as the World’s Largest Turtle Race. I am wondering if they had the race this year, I have not seen any pictures so far on Facebook and I usually do.

In the evening of course there were fireworks, and I have memories of them not always going off as they should. We had to be careful 🙂

Now to close this out as I just can’t concentrate with the constant rumbling of illegal fireworks. Some of them are so loud and close that the windows of the house are shaking.

Steven

 

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Boom

Posted on July 3, 2020 by vanbraman

Each night this week has been a bit noisier than the one before.

Fireworks 2014, Tracy, California, Firework Lightning, Purple FireworksNot just the crackle of safe and sane fireworks, but the big booms of illegal fireworks.

Fireworks, four shells, purple, orange, Best Fireworks, Tracy, CaliforniaI know that many people are disappointed that public displays are being cancelled and they still want to see bursts of color in the sky.

Tracy Fireworks, 2017 fireworks, 4th of July, Independence DayThis is really not a new issue, as we hear the loud bang of illegal fireworks every year. However, this year there seems to be even more.

Perhaps it is because we have some new residents in our neighborhood, but from news reports it is much worse this year throughout the entire area.

Tracy Fireworks, 2017 fireworks, 4th of July, Independence DayTo me this goes along with so many other things that people are doing that are illegal. It really doesn’t seem to matter to many people what the regulations are.

Fire Works - 4th of July - Most Liked Posts - Holiday FireworksThere are definitely reasons for the regulating of fireworks. Just as there are for many recent restrictions we are facing in other areas of our lives.

The illegal fireworks are really a danger as it is very dry here in the summer. There is also a higher chance of injury and the loud noises are very stressful for some people.

I wonder if the people disregarding the restrictions on fireworks are also doing the same with other important restrictions?

I can at least take some precautions from the fireworks. I am making sure that I keep my yard from drying out so that stray sparks don’t start a fire.

Please make sure you are taking precautions from other dangers as well.

Steven

 

 

 

Posted in California, Culture, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment