A Great Night at Red, White and Boom

I got to see Spartanburg’s “Red, White and Boom” in person this past Friday (June 26).

What a great night!

My wife and I returned from a beach vacation in time to take in the City of Spartanburg’s official Fourth of July celebration for the first time.

As we walked from a parking lot to Barnet Park, we heard the finale` of the Spartanburg Community Band’s performance.  They sounded great.

The Trik Alley Band, a local rock band with a long history, kept the crowd hopping for 90 minutes, including a surprise performance by “Elvis” (he was lots of fun).

And then… the fireworks!

It was the best fireworks show I’ve seen in a long time.  There were no big gaps.  When one explosion in the sky was over, another was close behind.  And the patriotic music played over the public address system really added to the effect (man, I love to hear Ray Charles sing “America the Beautiful).

I had a delicious and reasonably priced Philly sandwich sold by a local vendor.  My only disappointment was the lemonade, which didn’t have much lemon flavor.

But aside from that, it was a terrific night for thousands of us to gather and enjoy music, food, family and friends, and the rockets red glare.  It was a terrific night to celebrate the greatness of our country and say thanks to those who defend our freedoms.

Hats off to the Spartanburg Community College Foundation for providing the community such a super event.