July 4th memories

By Staff
Kim West
One of my fondest childhood memories was spending the Fourth of July at my grandparents' house on Smith Lake in Cullman.
My hometown of Athens sponsors a fireworks show at the city football stadium, and there are also plenty of pyrotechnics at McFarland Park in Florence and Point Mallard Park in Decatur every Fourth of July. I also found out this week that the city of Russellville has planned a fireworks show this Saturday at 9 p.m. at Sloss Lake on Hwy. 24.
But nothing can compare to loading a cooler filled with snacks and drinks and finding a place to sit on Papaw's pontoon boat with my sisters and cousins for a trip to the lake harbor to watch the annual fireworks show.
Papaw made sure we arrived in plenty of time to drop anchor near the same house overlooking the harbor every year because it always had a live band playing before and after the fireworks show. The band played a good mix of music, and we would try to sing along in our off-key voices to everything from Jimmy Buffet and The Eagles to patriotic tunes.
By the time the sky had darkened enough for the show to start, there were hundreds of other boats docked in the harbor and the weather went from hot and humid to pleasantly balmy.
Many people will have to work today, most notably the military personnel who are separated from their loved ones with postings to places like Camp Pendleton in California or Fort Richardson in Alaska or because of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. There are also many other Americans who will be manning our hospitals, police and fire stations, restaurants, stores and gas stations.
At the time, I didn't realize how lucky I was to spend the holiday with my family as we watched a well-choreographed show with plenty of razzle-dazzle that was beautifully illuminated by the lake water.
But after having to work the past several July 4 holidays, I'm looking forward to watching some baseball, going to fireworks shows and visiting with family this year.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy Fourth of July with plenty of cookout food and fireworks. And for those of you who are serving in the community or in the military, thanks for all that you do to keep our country safe.