Categorized | Carousel, Editorial

EDITORIAL: It Never Gets Old

I’ve loved seeing fireworks since I was a young child. However, I always watched them with my hands over my ears because I didn’t like the loud sound when they went off. As I grew older, the sound was a great accompaniment to the bright colorful skies being lit.

Looking around the Waterfront on Monday, July 3rd it was great to see the huge crowds that gathered to watch the Celebrate Our Stars and Stripes 2017 fireworks display.

One thing that the fireworks accomplish is it’s a great unifier. It unites people of all ages, and social and economic and ethnic backgrounds who gather to watch the show. After the fireworks as we were walking along the Waterfront and on the way home, strangers smiled and greeted at each other and saying, “Have a happy Fourth!”

It’s a testament that each year the crowd seems to be getting larger, and this we know for a fact. We can see large crowds at the Barge, Armory and Bayside Creamery which had a long line that extended to around 40 people waiting outside to buy ice cream.

Prior to the fireworks beginning, Celebrate Our Stars and Stripes Chair Barry Rosengarten had a prerecorded message in which he talked about the greatness of America. He reiterated the quote defining what a veteran is stating: “A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America,’ for an amount up to and including their life.” – Unknown

Truer words were never spoken.

The earlier weather forecast called for a thundershower around 8 p.m. but it never materialized and the fireworks went off without a hitch. You can tell by looking at the crowd that they were pleased watching the show.

Life is not perfect, and it will never be perfect. There will always be heartaches and in the past couple of months we have lost some very good people. But  community events, such as the fireworks, or Family Day, Car Shows, etc. which can be enjoyed by all age groups, it’s a good thing. The upside is that events that attract outsiders that will spend money in your town can only be an economic boost. I’ve looked at other towns that have similar events and they’ve drawn humongous crowds. That’s why they keep those events going.

I just wish that when they have events to honor our service personnel who are fighting for our freedom, that they would draw crowds as huge as they were for the fireworks display. It is those men and women who are the real bright stars, not only of that night, but what they do for us every single day so we can have the freedom that we are able to enjoy. C.M.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Browse Current Issue - Click Here

Safety Announcement

We are taking safety precautions in the City of Perth Amboy, and emphasize that it is important: IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!!
Report Suspicious Activity – Be Vigilant – STAY ALERT! Do not think that any call or report is too small. Don’t allow the actions of a few dictate your quality of life.
FOR ALL EMERGENCIES, DIAL: 9-1-1
FOR ALL NON-EMERGENCIES, DIAL: 732-442-4400