When I was a young girl spending July 4th beachfront on Bolivar Peninsula was my favorite holiday of the year, bar none. I can remember saving up my allowance for a month so I could buy a big bag of fireworks to shoot off over the water. Watching the reflection of the bright colors on the waves held a special fascination for me. Even more fascinating was the loud booms and bright colors I could see off in the distance, coming from Galveston Island. My special dream was that someday I would make it to the “big island” on this special day to see up-close-and-personal that magnificent display. Well, my time has come! I’m now all grown up, and then some. Actually older than I want to admit:) The “big island” has become my home, and watching the fireworks over the Seawall is now one of my favorite celebrations of the year.
The crowds are bigger than I ever imagined they would be. You can feel the excitement in the air, as so many families gather to celebrate our great nation’s independence, freedom, and opportunity. The warmth and camaraderie was evident among young and all as they settled into their lawn chairs, hung their legs over the edges of the seawall, or perched around our dolphin statues. Our Galveston Beach Patrol was on hand to insure everyone was a safe distance. As I listened to the crowd excitedly conversing in many different languages, it brought home the fact that this diversity of cultures is what America is all about. The street vendors were selling foil wrapped corn-on-the-cob, magical lighted wands for the kids, and tamales for everyone. It could just have easily been on the streets of Juarez. A middle-eastern couple asked if I knew where the fireworks would be coming from; I gave them my best guess, and they sat to watch the display with me. It was a warm night, in more ways than one as we all came together to enjoy the sights.
A hush came over the crowd as the fireworks began. There were a few quiet “oohs and aahs” as the spectacular visions exploded over the gulf, which mirrored the images in brilliant colors. When the grand finale began, the cheering erupted and continued until the last blast was heard. It was so worth the drive home, traffic and all. Can’t wait till next year!
islandwidow 