So, what does all of this have to do with fireworks, you might ask. Well, not a thing! But, at the end of June I always look forward to the fireworks and celebration held in Easthampton by the Kiwanis Club. Growing up in Beverly Farms, the 4th was probably our most exciting time of the year. A holiday to be celebrated at least as gleefully as Christmas. We had the 'night-before dance' and the Hastings House, the Horribles Parade early in the morning (with many of the participants still inebriated from the all-night effort of putting the float together), the afternoon races at the beach for kids as well as adults, and wonderful cook-outs, and of course, the 'best fireworks in the world'! We would lay on the beach and watch them explode over our heads. Sometimes, if the wind was right, the ashes would land among us. We were never too old or too cool to love all the festivities, and when I married John, he knew that the Fourth in the Farms would always be part of the plan. And it was for quite a while. But, once we opened the store it was difficult for us to get away for the holiday, so we started a new tradition of openening our pool to friends and family on the 4th and closing the store early to enjoy the afternoon. The fireworks in Easthampton made it all bearable. This year they were cancelled because of foul weather forecasting. I am having trouble recovering from my disappointment. It just doesn't seem like the summer without those fireworks. My friend, Di, promises to find another venue to feed my barrage additction (that IS the part I love the best), so I am still holding out hope.....
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