Fourth of July - Bygone Days

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The Fourth of July was always a wonderful day with the family. My grandparents and my dad's sister and her family lived in Green Bay. We lived an hour from here in a small rural town. Every year, we would get together for the Fourth of July at Bay Beach Amusement Park. We would have a picnic with delicious food, now lost to memories, but I'm sure it was the usual holiday fare, especially the potato salad. I know Dad grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. What else we had, I don't remember. However, I remember my brothers, sister, my cousins, and I would spend the day on the rides. Rides were always ten cents. The price didn't go up until about ten years ago. Now ride tickets are a quarter, and usually it costs four for each ride. Anyway, it was a fun day with all the usual carnival type rides. I loved the Ferris Wheel. I even went on the octopus even though it scared me every time. There was also the carousel, tilt-a-whirl, train, and many others to enjoy throughout the day. At night, the lights came on all the rides and presented another delightful atmosphere as everyone knew the time was drawing close for everyone to pack up the picnic and bring out the blanket and head over to the back of the Pavillion for the fireworks. The first two or three rockets went boom with the flash of bright white light, and then the oohs and ahs started as fireworks burst into many colors and shapes. The ground display wouldn't be outdone and was always a spectacular show. Throughout the show, the popular patriotic music came through the loudspeakers from the Pavillion. The saddest part of the day was packing up and leaving. I miss those days. The fireworks are no longer at Bay Beach, they're downtown. There's excitement of a different kind. But to me, the best fireworks were at Bay Beach. Do you have fond memories of past holidays? Thanks for reading. The image belongs to me from Bay Beach.