In Gainesville, July 3 is July 4. That is, we do fireworks a day early. I don’t know why, exactly. I assume it’s so that everyone has a chance to get out of town on Independence Day itself. Whatever the reason, I have enjoyed this tradition for as long as I have lived here. Back in 2000, for example, I watched the fireworks show with friends from the roof of Newins-Ziegler Hall on campus. The following year, I went with my then-girlfriend, and along the way I stopped at a vending machine and got my first taste of Vanilla Coke. Some years the fireworks have been canceled because dry conditions presented a fire risk. Other years they have been canceled because of lack of funds. Once, we got rained out.
Three years ago, July 3 fell on a weekend, and after spending the afternoon with friends at a pool party, several of us met up on campus to watch the fireworks show. About the time it got dark, it began to rain, and the rain fell so hard that we became completely convinced that the fireworks would be canceled because nobody would be willing to stay out in the elements long enough to see them. I love fireworks, and I would not give up easily on a chance to see them, but I harbored no doubts that there would be no fireworks that night. We covered ourselves in the blankets we took to sit upon, and raced back to our cars, dripping wet and certain we were doing the smart thing leaving. (It turns out we were not: they did end up shooting off fireworks later that night.)
As we were about to leave, Kerri asked me to take her photo, and I quickly pressed the shutter and put away my camera. That camera did not work again for three months.
Tonight, we once again met up with Kerri, and her husband Matt, to watch the fireworks on campus. And though it rained (really, I can hardly remember a year when it didn’t rain on July 3), and though we briefly sought shelter in our nearby automobile, we still had the best time, and still saw awesome fireworks. We picnicked on blankets (the same ones we used to cover ourselves from the rain three years ago), and listened to live music, and chatted for hours. Matt and Kerri are super lovely people, and it was great having this experience with them – an experience I’ll remember for a long time.