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The things that I always look forward to during the Independence Day holiday include cookouts and the fireworks shows.

Maybe that’s why that Will Smith classic movie was so popular. Doesn’t matter how bad the plot was, all we wanted to see was Smith and company blowing up the alien ships, giving the fans a lot of great cinematic fireworks shows.

I don’t know, but there’s just something about seeing all of the gunpowder going off in the sky that just makes it feel festive. Even when I had to spend the day in the hospital, my family came over and watched the show with me out of the window at the end of the hallway over the Birmingham skyline. (That was in fact the only time I’ve watched the fireworks from the southside of Red Mountain.)

By the way, they brought me some ribs too, so I kinda had a cookout too.

Here in Dallas County, there should be plenty of fireworks to go around here. We have two shows coming up on Wednesday night, the day before Independence Day. Valley Grande has their fireworks that night. Here in the Queen City, the fireworks will go off after the concert at the Amphitheater.

The day after that, Orrville will have its fireworks show. 

There’s no telling just how much smoke we will create over those two nights, but it’s truly a great tradition that I will buy into every time.

If that’s not enough, I guess you can set your DVRs to record the fireworks shows in the major hubs around town. 

What I always love to look for is to see if there are any new designs or colors that pop out from the fireworks. I remember when the smiley faces and heart-shaped fireworks debuted, and people were wowed.

To me, a fireworks show doesn’t have to be extremely long to be great. All it has to do is to keep my attention until the finale. Typically, there are more fireworks going off in that minute or two than there are in the rest of the show. 

Most shows either end with a ton of big bang fireworks that just cause a lot of noise but little light. Others will end on big fireworks that will seemingly paint the sky in sparkles for a few seconds.

Personally, I love a combination of the two endings where it’s shiny and has some bang to it.

So far in Dallas County, I have already been impressed with the events and the activity that is already happening here. I want to do my best to participate in as much as I can, and I know I will catch at least a fireworks show or two next week.

I hope you will take the opportunity to participate in these events as well.

 

Brent Maze is the publisher of the Selma Times-Journal. He can be reached at brent.maze@selmatimesjournal.com.