The administrator of a neighborhood page on a social media site recently posted a time-weary warning on the page. I’ll not quote it here, but the gist of it was that the members of the group should get a grip: July 4th, 2025, is coming soon, and fireworks will be happening.
One of the amusing games played on the neighborhood page is “Gunshots or fireworks?” The game is simple and can be played at any time. If someone hears a loud sound that cannot be immediately identified, that person will post a question, asking if anyone else heard the sound, and if the sound was the result of gunfire or the echo of fireworks. The “gunfire” question is a year-round offering, but it gets wider play when holidays occur that have TNT displays.
When I was a young person in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, my brother, sister, and I would delight in the fireworks displays that erupted from the “Golden Triangle” formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. We lived in the upper Hill District, and we stood on rooftops to see the bombs bursting in air. This was the early 1960s, and there was no “FacePlace” that we could log on to and use to communicate to a wider audience our joy at being able to see that wondrous exhibit. We would gather in the groups of our choice and talk about what we had seen, and how much fun we had seeing it. I do not remember hearing any adult whining about the effects of fireworks on the dogs, cats, or chickens. (Just kidding about the chickens: No live chickens in the city at that time.) Fast-forward 70 years, and we have social media, and the ability to moan and complain to a greater group than our immediate friends and family.
I wrote of a neighborhood watch captain trying to determine the reason that firetrucks were cruising the ‘hood in “Barefootin’” (Weekly View, June 27th, 2025.) The purpose of the search for information was neither to raise an alarm, nor to complain about the presence of the trucks, but to gather information that would be useful to the group. When people post on a neighborhood page that they heard gunshots and want to know if anyone else has heard them, this does not seem to be an inquiry that is designed to be helpful. I think of “Chicken Little,” and “the sky is falling.”
“Independence Day” (now commonly known as “The 4th Of July”) was declared a national holiday in 1870, 155 years ago. It is typically celebrated with fireworks, and on some military bases, gunfire. In Indiana, it is legal to purchase certain kinds of fireworks for personal use. More spectacular displays have regulatory conditions, which may require licensing. We sit on hillsides and rooftops and watch for the “the rockets’ red glare” that was immortalized in the Francis Scott Key poem that became “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears sang, “What goes up must come down // Spinning wheel got to go ‘round…” For those who need to vent about an event that has historical roots, based on current desires, I leave you with these lyrics:
“Talkin’ ‘bout your troubles and you // You never learn…”
I hope that we all enjoy a celebration of freedom, which will include a freedom from whining about the possibility that our dogs will bark and our cats will bolt. Unlike tornadoes, July 4th happens on a specific day each year. Let us just prepare to find the joy.
cjon3acd@att.net