Civic joys and virtues
Last night, as is our favorite thing to do on the 4th, we went over to a
friends house for a barbeque, then walked over to the city park to watch the
fireworks.
I love the whole thing around the 4th. The always good weather, the hanging
out with people, the patriotic themed foods, like Flag cake and red beans
and rice salad. I especially love going to the park and watching the
fireworks with a significant fraction of the total population of the town
where we live.
This year, the fireworks were very good. But, a difference I noticed from
the last several years, is that the security was much more relaxed. The
last few years, but not this year, the city police had been out in full
force, checking bags and containers, and in general doing serious
enforcement. But this year, with as many, or more, citizens in attendance,
I saw only one police officer, who was standing at the entrance to the
park, where the buses dropped people off, but which was otherwise closed to
traffic. No police wandering the crowd making their presence known.
Last night, a crowd of hundreds of people, all together in the city they
live in and love, watched a spectacle celebrating this place. And they did
it with more freedom than they have in years past, and it was all the
sweeter for that.
friends house for a barbeque, then walked over to the city park to watch the
fireworks.
I love the whole thing around the 4th. The always good weather, the hanging
out with people, the patriotic themed foods, like Flag cake and red beans
and rice salad. I especially love going to the park and watching the
fireworks with a significant fraction of the total population of the town
where we live.
This year, the fireworks were very good. But, a difference I noticed from
the last several years, is that the security was much more relaxed. The
last few years, but not this year, the city police had been out in full
force, checking bags and containers, and in general doing serious
enforcement. But this year, with as many, or more, citizens in attendance,
I saw only one police officer, who was standing at the entrance to the
park, where the buses dropped people off, but which was otherwise closed to
traffic. No police wandering the crowd making their presence known.
Last night, a crowd of hundreds of people, all together in the city they
live in and love, watched a spectacle celebrating this place. And they did
it with more freedom than they have in years past, and it was all the
sweeter for that.