INTERNATIONAL
FREEDOM FESTIVAL FIREWORKS 2004
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
Wednesday, June
23, 2004
My friend Scott
and I decided about 4 PM to go downtown to see the fireworks.
I hadn't seen them--except once on the Canadian side in 1986--since
Ed and I used to take our 13' Boston Whaler motor boat down there
in the 1970s. What I remembered from those adventures was ash
raining down on us, and a bumpy trip home as we rode the competing
wakes of dozens of big boats. Scott, a visiting Californian, had
never seen our Detroit fireworks. My husband Ed told Scott, who
had regularly seen San Francisco's fireworks display, that Detroit's
were the best in the country. Scott just laughed because Ed always
says Detroit is the best...at anything!
We got downtown
about 5 PM. I knew enough to park on the street at least a mile
east of Hart Plaza, and to be sure the car was headed toward home.
The few times I'd driven down to the fireworks had taught me that
getting home can take a long, long time. And we don't even have
to take the expressway. I was happy to find a good parking place
on E. Lafayette and Rivard, a few blocks east of Greektown.
To give you
some idea of the size of the crowd that generally descends on
downtown Detroit for the fireworks, they expected at least a half
a million people. And being the Motor City meant most folks would
be driving and would have to find some place to park. The police
closed the expressways coming into the city at 7 PM, three hours
before the fireworks were scheduled to start!
This was another
instance of my being grateful for the ease of traveling in my
new handicap-accessible minivan, Sojourner. Scott, a dear friend
from San Francisco, had certainly done his share of schlepping
my Amigo scooter in and out of cars, so it was a treat to let
him sit back and watch the magic of my easy exit via the automatic-unfolding
ramp.
After parking,
we walk/scooted the three blocks to Monroe street in the center
of Greektown. We decided to have a light supper at the New Athenium
restaurant, one of Greektown's few unchanged reminders of this
old neighborhood's pre-casino days. After enjoying a yummy salad
and sageki (garlic/cucumber yoghurt dip), we joined the stream
of folks walking the 5-6 blocks over to the riverfront.
It was 7 PM
by the time we arrived at Hart Plaza, our destination. And was
it crowded! We scouted out a number of possible spots for viewing
the fireworks, and finally ended up right behind the Noguchi fountain--irreverently
called "The Donut on Legs" by locals--in an area where
folks seemed to be giving each other lots of breathing room. By
then, the fireworks were still over two-and-a-half hours away.
Lots of time for a good long visit--which Scott and I wanted since
we'd only be together this one day--and for us to get to know
our neighbors.
We met and
talked at length with Casey, a home health care aid, who had come
in with her friend and their collective children/grandchildren
from Monroe, 40 miles southwest of Detroit. With her was Kevin,
her friend's grandson who was in town visiting from Utah. Next
to them were Gloria, a business consultant, and Dale, a nurse
at the hospital where my husband was born 74 years ago. They had
driven in from Ann Arbor, 50 miles away. Behind them, we met Brian
who had smiled for a picture I'd taken earlier. He wanted to know
if Scott and I were married. Since Scott is in his mid-40s and
I'm in my early 60s, we got a chuckle over that!
After awhile
Scott went off to brave the porta-potty lines and to buy an "elephant
ear," a traditional Detroit-area sweet that looks tempting
but tastes like sugar-covered dough. He waited 45 MINUTES to get
his treat and paid $5 for the privilege. Everything was $5, including
an ice cream cone. And no one seemed to mind.
During the
entire three hours, we were being serenaded--more like blasted--by
a "classic soul" radio station being broadcast over
mammoth loudspeakers. It made talking a bit of a challenge, but
again no one seemed to mind. Actually, no one seemed to mind much
of anything at Hart Plaza that night. Scott and I didn't see or
hear one angry action or word, not even a child being reprimanded.
From where we sat, this was exactly as we'd want the world to
be: culturally diverse, all ages getting along together, friendly
interactions between strangers, and everyone just happy to be
there. Right before the fireworks began, I told Scott that even
if there were NO fireworks, I would consider this to have been
a perfect evening. But I had no idea what was to come!
There are no
words to describe the THRILL, and occasional SHOCK, of Detroit's
fireworks extravaganza! It goes on for a solid 40 minutes, with
three sets of fireworks being set off from three barges positioned
in the middle of Detroit River between Canada and the U.S. A medley
of music blares from the loudspeakers, but instead of detracting,
it only adds to the excitement. The BOOMS make the ground rock
under your feet and can even cause your hands to cover your ears
involuntarily. We were so close that the fireworks exploded RIGHT
over our heads, and ash came tumbling down! I kept telling myself
to close my mouth so it wouldn't get filled with ash, but I couldn't
do it. I just HAD to "ooh" and "aah" and scream.
It was SO MUCH FUN!!!
After the final
sizzling firework had exploded over our, by then, ash-covered
heads, Scott said, "It's going to be tough to top that!"
We decided to sit tight and let thousands of folks "beat"
us out of Hart Plaza. Our neighbors stayed too, and little Kevin
asked for a scooter ride. His job was to toot my pink horn so
we wouldn't run anyone down. He was a great "tooter!"
After 20-30
minutes, Scott and I gathered up our gear and made our way toward
the entrance to Hart Plaza. At E. Jefferson Avenue we had to pass
beside a large area that was cordoned off by yellow crime tape
and guarded by dozens of police. Someone said there had been a
shooting, but I hoped it was a rumor. The next day we learned
that there had indeed been a shooting and nine people had been
wounded.
I am putting
up this photo-journal to show that that one random act of violence
was NOT the norm, but an aberration, a tragic occurence that is
not indicative of what happens at large gatherings in my city.
In 39 years of living in and around Detroit, I have never before
been in such a situation...and I attend dozens of VERY crowded
free festivals in downtown Detroit every summer.
May Detroit
continue to draw people from around the world to join in our downtown
celebrations of great fireworks, music, sports, entertainment
and community. And may those who were wounded on Wednesday night
be healed.
(click on thumbnails
to see photos in a larger format)
photos by Patricia
Lay-Dorsey & Scott Weldon
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