We had a very busy Fourth of July this year! We were pooped by the end of the day. It was definitely worth it though, as Brad and I have never been able to celebrate the Fourth, and do the whole fireworks and parade deal - since we met! So this year, I was determined to make it the most enjoyable day possible. We began the day bright and early, loading up the car for a trip downtown to the parade route. Apparently, Gillette has one of the largest parades in the state, and this was to be the longest parade ever. We prepared with water, and camp chairs. We stopped into Starbucks for some lemonade on the way. Once we parked, we awaited the arrival of my sister (so we could help with the kids.) Once unloaded, we made our way down to 2nd street, where it was packed full of people. We were able to find a great spot, set up our chairs, and applied sunblock.
Once the parade began, we all stood as the American flags went by. It was hard for the kids to understand why we only stood at the beginning of the parade, and not every float that went by. My sister was even a little confused. After the grand marshal went by, the first float was flying a flag, my sister asked, "Deanna, this float has a flag too - do we need to stand?" I chuckled a little bit, and mentioned that every float and parade entry would have a flag - it's the fourth of July! We both laughed it off. The parade was awesome. It was about 90 minutes long, and each float handed out oodles of candy, water bottles, and otter pops. It was perfect for the sweltering hot day.
Following the parade, we headed to the park where the free hot dog feed was. Once we arrived the line was moving steadily. Each person got 2 hot dogs, a hand full of chips, and a soda. We scored a table in the shade, and enjoyed a picnic!
The park had a lot of fun activities going, from a pie eating contest, to chalk drawing on the basket ball courts, bouncy toys, the fire department had a water hose going, mud volleyball, strongest woman contest ect. There was something for everyone. Around 2 pm, Brad & I had almost had enough of the heat, and decided it was time to head to Home Depot to pick up supplies for Gladys (my Aristocrat Camper). We would plan to meet up with Stephanie's family later in the evening.
At 6 pm we went to their house for a Steak cook-out. It was delicious. Following dinner, we loaded up the cars, and headed to the Cam-plex for fireworks.
Testing out my new flash in the dark.
It worked pretty good!
To my surprise, I was able to figure out the settings last minute on my camera to enjoy some beautiful shots of the fireworks.
This one is one of my favorite! It looks like a ball of fire in the sky.
I love this shot. It shows some of the remnants of smoke left from previous fireworks, and also is so clear. I am proud of this one.
The finale was awesome!
Ending the show with a red white and blue firework!
After the fireworks, we went back to Stephanie and Andrew's for a short while to watch the kids do sparklers. It has always been one of my favorite parts of Independence day, so I couldn't miss is. I also wanted to play with my camera some more.
Capturing David playing Ninja.
He had so much fun!
Hannah spinning circles.
The kids enjoying a few ground fireworks.
Thank goodness Andrew was a trooper and lit many of the ground ones for the kids enjoyment.
Hayley enjoying her sparklers as we close out the 4th of July.
All in all it was a fantastic day. I'm still in awe of the community we live in. It's fabulous to see the patriotism, support, and love that's present here. Everyone had flags flying from their vehicles! It's nice sometimes, to be from a small town.
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