How Do Middletown's Fireworks Look From The Bridge?

http://youtu.be/DXj7LhKm7ww

Last year, Middletown's fireworks were postponed a day due to weather. For 2015 though, the scheduled night was cool and clear.

The display Friday night lasted over 25 minutes. Check out just 4+ of those minutes, as viewed from the Arrigoni Bridge. 

(I must admit, seeing the railroad trestle illuminated in flashes did remind me of that bridge scene in 'Apocalypse Now'.  But I was not cradling a small dog, and everyone made it home.)

Independence Day Fireworks and Festival July 3

Mayor Drew announced that the City, along with the Commission on the Arts will be presenting a celebration of Independence Day on Tuesday, July 3rd this year. All downtown parking will be free during the event.

The pre-Independence Day Fireworks Festival will kick off at 6PM with music, activities for children, and select vendors. The fireworks will begin at 9:30PM.

Three groups will be performing, the Middletown High School Jazz Band, Sweet Daddy Cool Breeze, and the Middletown Symphonic Band. The Symphonic Band will also accompany the fireworks.

Rain date is Friday, July 6 for the fireworks.

Fourth of July: Just Another Monday?

It took me some detective work to find out that Middletown is not having fireworks or a Fourth of July celebration again this year. The usual holiday festivities were cancelled in 2010, but I had not heard anything about this year and was thinking, wishfully, that the party would be back on. The display right on the riverbank always felt like the quintessential way to mark the holiday to me. It just doesn't feel the same without the fireworks.

During my childhood, every year my family trekked out to a huge park called Oregon Ridge in Maryland where the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra played a full concert before the lengthy fireworks display got started. Families would spend all day there with picnics and games before the free concert and show. I spent one summer in Washington D.C. and watched the display from the Mall with the Washington Monument as a background. That year, there were overcast skies, but the threats of rain never materialized. There was less of a crowd because of the forecast, and I ended up with a choice viewing spot. Celebrating our nation's independence in the nation's capital is not an overrated experience in my opinion.

It's been hard to find any other Fourth of July celebrations so spectacular as the ones I experienced early in life, partly because of the true magnificence of them, but also partly because of the way that good memories can set in and leave an unbeatable impression, leaving you always searching to recreate them. Twice I have spent the Fourth of July in Norwich, where the fireworks display over the Thames river was quite spectacular. A few summers at a town park in Western Pennsylvania were unimpressive, but pleasant. I've never seen the displays in Boston or New London and I'd like to get a chance to see those some time in the future.

Some people don't feel the connection with the Fourth of July or enjoy the fireworks all that much. I've heard from people who dislike the noise, or the crowds, or just don't feel that Fourth of July is a favorite holiday. I knew one man who was a war veteran and felt that the fireworks displays are disrespectful to veterans, because for him, the sounds and flashes of lights brought on bad war memories. I have a relative who was injured badly at a backyard Fourth of July party gone awry, where the combination of alcohol consumption and firecrackers landed her in the hospital and with a life-long injury.

Back to present day, New Britain has been in the news lately for announcing the cancellation of their annual fireworks early in June, and then having donations and grants pour in, in a still ongoing effort to restore the tradition for this year. There is a nationwide trend of downsizing or canceling the displays. The typical fireworks display for a town like Middletown or New Britain costs about $50,000.

So, Eye readers, what do you think about the lack of a celebration in Middletown this year? Is this a good way to save some money in our City budget, or are we foolish to forego one of the rites of summer? What are some the best, or worst, or most memorable Fourth of July fireworks you've seen?

And if you're looking for festivities for this year, check out the Hartford Courant's interactive map and “10 Best Bets” listing here: http://www.courant.com/entertainment/holiday/4th-of-july/

More Beautiful Than Fireworks, and Cheaper

After swimming through a downpour from porch to minivan packing food for a family birthday party we got on the road just as the sun broke through the storm clouds. Between the thunder, lightning and eventual rainbow, this was a natural aerial sky display that was well-worth the money spent on it.

The obligatory fireworks pictures

Yes, the rain kept the crowd at bay, still thousands of us gathered to happily watch $50,000 in tax dollars go up in smoke, flame and ash in a matter of 20 minutes.

Fireworks

Thousands of Middletown residents came out to see the fireworks display over the river on the Second of July. Walking down from the Nation Beat concert at Wesleyan, it seemed that College Street, Main Street, Riverview Parking Plaza, and DeKoven Drive were full of people.  The biggest crowds, however, were in Harbor Park. In fact, the tunnel under the highway was a bit of a "traffic" jam of people after the show.  

Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves, as the fireworks became more and more spectacular. In fact, where I was standing people kept saying over and over, "OK, this is the finale" as each burst became more impressive than the last. 

Only Violent Thunderstorms Will Postpone Fireworks

The Second of July Fireworks display scheduled for this evening will go on as planned, according to the mayor's office. The only thing that would disrupt them are "violent thunderstorms" which would require observers to seek shelter. According to the mayor's office a passing rain shower is not enough to squelch the annual display of pyrotechnics.

City Hall closes at three today.

Fireworks

As an earlier post explained, the fireworks were on the 3rd this year.
I went to watch at Wesleyan University and got some photos.




Go to my set on flickr to see more photos from the show.

All photos by Pearse Pinch

July 4 is July 3

That is to say, the Fireworks Celebration this year is on the eve of Independence Day, Thursday July 3, as opposed to on the holiday itself, July 4. Boom!