It’s soon to be another Fourth of July, and like everything else I’ve kept track of the fireworks my wife and I have watched throughout our nineteen years together. Of course, I see animated fireworks frequently after winning a game of “Spider Solitaire,” but these were all occasions of celebration with each other, family, and friends. This will be our 20th 4th of July as a couple, and this year we’ll be entertaining my stepdaughter’s boyfriend for dinner at the house. We live in a quiet neighborhood where the dogs won’t have to spend the night in panic, so seeing fireworks this year would require a bit more planning. Here are 44 special moments in time when fireworks made our day:

  • My wife’s birthday dinner at Dunaways’ Indianapolis rooftop as part of Indy Jazz Fest
  • Rochester, Indiana Airport 4th of July display on a blanket
  • Epcot Center Disneyworld
  • Rochester 4th of July celebration with my wife’s mother
  • Cinderella’s Castle Disneyworld
  • Conner Prairie 4th of July concert Symphony on the Prairie
  • Disneyworld my 50th 
  • Conner Prairie 4th of July concert Symphony on the Prairie
  • Gershwin Conner Prairie concert Symphony on the Prairie
  • Conner Prairie 4th of July concert Symphony on the Prairie
  • Rochester lake deck 4th of July with my wife’s mother
  • Side of road on way back to Rochester from the Strongbow Turkey Inn Valparaiso with my wife’s mother
  • Huatulco Beach wedding party for strangers
  • Conner Prairie 4th of July concert Symphony on the Prairie
  • Rochester 4th of July with my wife’s mother
  • Venetian Festival Chicago Cruise
  • Labor Day Sky Concert Indy
  • Conner Prairie 4th of July concert Symphony on the Prairie
  • Disneyland Anaheim
  • Par Tee fundraising event Decatur, Illinois
  • Conner Prairie 4th of July concert Symphony on the Prairie
  • Busch Stadium St. Louis vs. Cubs
  • Drive-by US Cellular on way to Orchid Show
  • Navy Pier Chicago after business meetings
  • Decatur bridge drive during 4th of July celebration 
  • Decatur Country Club Fireworks on the 4th through the trees at our neighbor’s house
  • Rochester 4th of July with my wife’s mother
  • Auditorium Shores Austin, Texas 4th of July celebration
  • South Padre Island, Texas – Steamers dinner on dock Memorial Weekend
  • Rochester 4th of July fireworks with my wife’s daughter and our own Tennessee-bought display
  • Guest Bedroom Window through the trees– Austin New Year’s Eve
  • Rochester Fourth with family on lake house deck 
  • Corpus Christi, Texas festival fireworks – Toastmaster’s convention
  • University of Texas Graduation fireworks off tower 
  • Cinderella’s Castle Disneyworld with grandkids
  • Harbor in Port Aransas, Texas 4th of July – dogs cowering out of fear
  • Rochester 4th of July from inside lake house living room – sadly no longer in the family
  • Labor Day Indigo West apartment distant viewing
  • Steamboat Mountainside Winter Carnival
  • Blues Festival Portland
  • Labor Day Oregon Symphony at Willamette
  • White Sox Guaranteed Park scoreboard
  • Steamboat Mountainside Winter Carnival year 2
  • Busch Stadium Cubs v Cards

Symphony on the Prairie was a must-go concert event when we lived in Indianapolis. The shows typically ended in an impressive fireworks display, particularly as the William Tell Overture played each Fourth of July. We saw at least 7 of these shows in the early years of our relationship. It was an annual tradition to go to Conner Prairie before or after traveling up to my mother-in-law’s Rochester lake home for more fireworks. We did this for at least 9 years, making my wife’s hometown the place where we’ve seen the most pyrotechnics. My wife’s mother always enjoyed our 4th of July weekend visits to Lake Manitou and her pier is where I made my July 1st marriage proposal 18 years ago. We could see and hear the Rochester fireworks show clearly from the small airport directly across the lake from her house. In the early years of going, we would also drive her to some of the neighboring town celebrations. She liked these shows as much as we did, but the house has now been sold and she’s in Assisted Living, while we’re unable to get there again this year. Hopefully, my wife’s sister will drive her to a viewing spot where she can relive 96-years of 4th of July memories. 

For my wife and I, Disney probably provided the next most frequent place for us to watch fireworks magic, having enjoyed their displays on at least five different occasions. Ballparks, carnivals, festivals, weddings, events, and ceremonies also made our Firecracker Hall of Fame list. Then, there were those unexpected moments when we were driving along in the car and happened upon a fabulous aerial explosion of color. The most memorable of all impromptu spectacles was the first birthday dinner that I planned for my wife-to-be. We were enjoying dessert on the roof-top of an Indianapolis restaurant when the sparks flew from the neighboring Jazz Festival finale. We knew at that moment that we were in love, and that fireworks would always be an important part of our relationship. Unfortunately, dry conditions in both Austin and Portland, where we’ve spent the last ten years, have reduced or cancelled many of the planned fireworks shows, so our recent experiences have been limited to brief bursts at ballparks and the unforgettable Winter Carnivals in Steamboat Springs, Colorado the past few years. However, there are still plenty of fireworks in our marriage every day.

Have a Safe & Happy Fourth and remember those that have given us Freedom!