Editorial by Bobby Tingle

 

My wife turned to me about 9:30 Monday night, July 4, and said, “That was the best fireworks show I have ever seen.”

Boy was I relieved.

Was it that she had just seen it and was fresh on her mind? Was it just an illusion that it was the best that prompted her comment? Didn’t I just beg her to go with me not forty-five minutes earlier? After a fairly long day that started with a walk at Northway Park, and I mean a brisk long walk, we were off to a cookout at my son’s soon to be wife’s apartment for some family time. The burgers were delicious.

Once we got back home it just seemed so easy to stay and relax in the comfort of our home. But I couldn’t just sit there with fireworks so close and so convenient.

So I begged her to go. Finally she relented. I promised we would drive right up to the event, park, view and hurry home. Then we got there. Uh-oh, where did all these people come from? After finding a suitable parking spot within easy walking distance I realized I forgot to bring the chairs.   Again I was relieved when she walked right up to the bank of the Sabine River and sat down in a nice grassy area. Of course I sat right next to her.

Then the bugs started biting her. She had whelps to prove it the next day.

Please, I thought, let the sky get dark.

Then promptly at 9 p.m. the fireworks started. Thirty minutes later, I was a hero.

Well actually Jay Trahan, Brandy Judice and I am sure several others from the City of Orange get the credit.

From my perch on the bank in the grass, it looked like there was a large turnout. The Riverfront Boardwalk and Pavilion looked to have a good crowd. We were well away from the pavilion on West Front Street and the crowd was thick all around us.

My hat is off to Trahan and Judice. Thank you for a wonderful display.

I have lived in Orange now for a short while, about half a year. More and more I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this community.

The community events, cultural venues, ease of access to all parts of town and genuinely nice people make this a great place to live. I suspect some may disagree. But as for my house and I, we enjoyed the fireworks.

 

Bobby Tingle is publisher of The Orange Leader. He can be reached at bobby.tingle@orangeleader.com.