We had waited until the last few minutes before the show to walk the two blocks from our house to Kailua Beach Park. The fireworks show was to start at 8 p.m.; we packed up the cooler and ushered our friends out the door at 7:50. Reaching the street, our small group was surprised to see people walking the wrong way -- away from the beach. Families toting disappointed children mingled with groups of teenagers and couples holding hands. Who needs fireworks? Well ...
"Fireworks were canceled," a woman pushing a stroller told us as we stood at the end of the driveway watching the exodus.
"No way!" I said. "Are you sure?"
She was. Apparently, high winds had forced the cancellation of the annual Fourth of July fireworks show. Several other groups of people who had been headed toward the beach were standing around slack-jawed with disappointment, wondering what to do next, their children running in circles as cars slowly drove through the hordes of people crowding the roadway.
We didn't need a big fireworks show to celebrate our nation's 226-year-old independence from tyranny. We went back to our yard, poured a few drinks and fired up the grill. Then we watched as people all over Kailua lit up the sky in a colorful celebration.
Nancy Christenson McNamee