Bay City Celebrates the Fourth!

Annual fireworks festival best in years!

July 5, 2003
By: Stephen Kent

Thousands gathered in Bay City this weekend for the annual Fourth of July fireworks festival. The three day event is one of the largest events of the summer. People come from all over the state for the carnival, the river, and the fireworks spectactular.

"Mr Fireworks", Terry Watson, chariman for the festival, estimated that over 350,000 people would visit this year. Casual observation on Saturday night would seem to confirm that. Cars were parked bumper to bumper in every neighborhood within a mile of the river front. The river side parks were packed with people as far as the eye could see. The river itself was again filled with boats.


In keeping with the tradition, there were small (by Bay City standards) "warm up" shows on Thursday and Friday. Each of these 15 minutesshows would have been a full blown event for many communities. The crowds were good for these shows, but nothing compared to the number who came to the 50 minute show on Saturday.

Saturday's show began with a tribute to the seven astronauts who lost their lives in the space shuttle Columbia disaster. A recording of Houston Mission Control's check list and countdown was broadcast over the loud speaker system as a great red glow rose from the firing pits.



When the countdown hit zero the show began with a spectacular blast. For the next 50 minutes the crowd was thrilled by the blasts and bursts and colors. The night was clear and pleasant, the crowds well behaved.

For this reporter, the true test of a Fourth Fireworks success is the length of time it takesfor the traffic to clear. Sitting on our porch on West Midland Street we watch the solid line of cars leaving town. Things were still moving well after midnight Saturday... it must have been a great show!