by Anura Guruge
on July 4, 2022
It was different.
It was minimalistic.
Very subdued. Mellow. Peaceful.
I kind of liked it. Gave you a chance to contemplate & take stock of life.
Thank YOU, Wolfeboro. Nice show.
by Anura Guruge
on July 3, 2022
Click images to ENLARGE.
It felt like it was the best fireworks in many years — better than last year. But, your memory plays tricks when it comes to fireworks. All said, it was satisfying — & that is what counts in the end.
Definitely MORE people than last year. That was palpable. But, it wasn’t packed & the traffic was light. I got my accustomed spot, on the bridge, dead in front of where the fireworks go off, at 8:55pm, without any problem. To be fair there wasn’t that many people on the bridge.
The weather was PERFECT. No rain, not even clouds. It was a spectacular evening. We really lucked out.
The fireworks started, BANG, at 9:20 (per schedule) & finished at 9:38. 18-minutes. 2 minutes shorter than last year.
We had more FOUNTAIN like displays & the crowd loved it. See images above.
But, for the fountain displays it was very much your typical Alton July 3rd firework show. We are used to it. We know what to expect. Nothing too spectacular, just an average, ‘low budget’ production. Also to be fair, Alton’s MAIN firework display is reserved for August for ‘Old Home Day‘.
It was the accustomed staccato, boom … pause … bang … pause … boom … pause, display culminating in short, climatic finale which this year was a tad shorter than usual. However, people loved it. It was much appreciated.
It was good. I am glad I went.
Thank YOU Alton (though, as a taxpayer, I did my bit to pay for it).
by Anura Guruge
on August 14, 2022
Click images to ENLARGE.
First & foremost, it has to noted that there was hardly anyone there for these Saturday, August 13, 2022, 9pm, fireworks. It was deserted. When the fireworks started there was at MOST 6 boats south of the bandstand. Usually that section of the bay is packed (& it was amusing that one BIG partyboat (i.e., pontoon) turned around & headed back under the bridge DURING the fireworks. Never seen that. I doubt if there were 500 people on shore for these fireworks. There was NO traffic. NO TRAFFIC whatsoever. The road that I park on (normally bumper-to-bumper) was empty. I was THE ONLY car parked! There was ONLY ONE police cruiser in total. Even he didn’t have much to do. I asked him why there wasn’t more people. He speculated that people might NOT have known! Strange. ‘Old Home Week’. That was fairly well publicized & known — & most folks know we have fireworks on the Saturday. Maybe they had forgotten over the COVID hiatus.
All said, the lack of crowds (& boats) was the biggest takeaway from this firework display. It was kind of weird. A firework display to a near empty ‘stand’. [By the way, I didn’t find out the name of the group that played on the docks prior to the fireworks — but, they were good. I might have gone earlier to hear more of them.]
I have a personal adage that ALL public firework displays are GOOD (by definition). Of course, there is levels of goodness & on that scale last night’s fireworks didn’t score that great. I am sorry to say that they were kind of lame. I might even venture to say flaccid & I do not say that lightly.
The fireworks lasted exactly 20 minutes. Spot on. Started sharp on time. 90% was just plain, common or garden starbursts fired sporadically — one could even say halfheartedly. The barge from which the fireworks are set off was also moored much further out in the way than usual. It is possible that they were concerned that hot debris might fall on the newly renovated bandstand. That the bursts were further away made them even less dramatic. All in all it was not great. Even the always much anticipated ‘grand finale‘ wasn’t that great. It was OK. Nothing to write home about.
After this year’s ‘July 4th’ Alton fireworks I said this:
Alas, that was not the case. Well, let’s hope we have better shows in Alton next Summer.
by Anura Guruge
on July 5, 2022
Click images to ENLARGE.
The ‘Wolfeboro‘ 4th of July 2022 fireworks were good. As ever it was a grander display than that at ‘Alton’ the night before — more, slightly fancier fireworks fired with more rapidity though, alas, still manually rather than via a programmed, computer firing system. But, it was good.
Last year’s 4th of July show at Wolfeboro, with COVID still very much in the news, was memorable. The fireworks were fired from a barge moored on the Bay — rather than from the ‘bottom’ playing field at Brewster. See below. Having the fireworks go off over water, as in Alton, made a difference.
But this year we were back to Brewster. I don’t know why.
As with Alton the night before the crowds were light THOUGH the boat traffic looked about par — maybe even a tad above par. I got to Wolfeboro at 9:10. The area around ‘Huggins’ was EMPTY — both of people & cars. Nobody walking towards Brewster! I genuinely thought I had mixed up the dates & as such missed the fireworks. So, I drove on further. Saw a FEW stragglers. NO POLICE. No blue lights. I pulled into ‘Anderson Hall‘ parking. There was plenty of empty spots, so I parked there. By then I could see more people. Strange. I would say we were at 1/2 normal capacity. It was more akin to what I expect at the New Year’s Eve fireworks than those for the 4th.
The show started, promptly at 9:30 & finished a few seconds ahead of 10pm. So, a 30-minute show. Longer than that at Alton.
There was police presence when we were trying to get out. Not as numerous or active as usual. Traffic getting out wasn’t bad. I can’t stress how atypically uncrowded it was. But, it was good. I enjoyed it. Thank you Wolfeboro.
by Anura Guruge
on July 4, 2022
Click images to ENLARGE.
It was GOOD to have the fireworks back in Alton Bay on July 3. A definite sign that normalcy is coming back — or in the case of Alton, already well & truly back. I like fireworks — both setting them off myself & shows. I try not to miss any local firework shows. As far as I am concerned you need to see as MANY firework displays as you can during your life.
And given my fondness for fireworks, I stoutly maintain that there is NO such thing as a bad fireworks display. As far as I am concerned they are all ‘good’ per my definition.
Alton Bay, last night, was NOT as crowded as I had expected. To be honest it was only at about 1/2 capacity compared to past years when there had been much more folks, traffic & boats. But, there was a fair crowd & they were happy & content. It is possible that people did NOT realize that the fireworks were on last night. I, as you know, did my little bit to get the message out — though I probably should have done it earlier. Many people still not appreciate that Alton does their 4th fireworks on the 3rd. Alton lets (famous) Wolfeboro have the honors on the 4th (& YES, I plan to be there. (SMILE)).
Given that it wasn’t that crowded parking, at my usual spot, was a breeze. Hardly anybody else parked! As such I was 20 minutes early.
The show started at 9:20 (as stated) & finished around 9:40. Par for the course. Folks were happy.
It was back to normal. That meant that it was also your typical, Alton July 3rd firework show. Nothing too spectacular, just an average, ‘low budget’ production. But, we in Alton are used to it — & to be fair, Alton’s MAIN firework display is reserved for August for ‘Old Home Day’.
It was the accustomed staccato, boom … pause … bang … pause … boom … pause, display culminating in short, climatic finale. We all love that. Most of us wait for it. We know it is coming. Well it came & as ever it was decent. Worth waiting for. I enjoyed it.
Thank YOU Alton (though, as a tax payer, I did my bit to pay for it).