Happy June 29th?

Astoria celebrated the 4th early with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra playing in the park and a nice fireworks display on the river.

The park was FULL of people and the glow necklaces and other flashy glow gadgets were out in full force. The band was great! The singer dedicated "The Way You Look Tonight" to the ladies and later they played "Night Train" a song that most "Back to the Future" fans may recognize if they heard it.

No sooner did the band call it a night than the fireworks started in- I'm sure the display is nothing compared to what I'll see on the 4th but compared to standard displays I've seen in Nebraska it definitely ranked at the top.

Of course the standard songs were played during the pops, bangs, oohs, aahs and screaming (yes, some kids decided their appreciation was best expressed thru horror movie type screams...). Lee Greenwood has long since peaked in his career but his residuals have to still be coming in for "God Bless the USA". "What a Wonderful World" and the "Glory Haellelujah" part of Elvis's "An American Trilogy", in addition to orchestrated standards were also heard. No "Living in America" or "Wildfire" (maybe the latter is just a tradition at Nebraska fireworks) or a song by Alabama - you know the one I'm talking about...I just can't think of the title right now...

As I stood amongst the crowd I reflected on how little this particular tradition has changed over the many years. Yes, there are kids running around with glow wear but the general idea of people gathering to watch fireworks as a celebration of our nation and for maybe a few minutes getting caught up in truly being proud to be an American hasn't changed. There's something weirdly comforting about that - especially as I'm getting used to my new environment and in this time of uncertainty with terrorists.

Can't wait to see the display on the 4th!