Firecracker Fun

Fourth of July was another fun-filled holiday weekend that many of us enjoyed as three days off. This year I participated for the first time in the Firecracker 5K. Although I in no way consider myself a runner, I did enjoy the goings on surrounding it. Before the firecracker goes off signaling the start of the race, it is apparently tradition for everyone gathered at the starting line to bounce around an assortment of beach balls and smaller plastic balls. Though I realized that this was going on, I was still humored by the fact some people were oblivious to it and managed to inadvertently get their heads in the way. Many would get a “what was that” look on their faces afterward.

It was also fun encountering the varying array of costumes—or race attire—worn by many of the racers. Some very serious runners looked the part; those who were less serious looked their part as well. And then there were some...well, I’m just not sure what they were doing. As I traversed the course with my race partner there were several people standing along the sides cheering you on and even some offering frozen pop-ice or water. A few had their sprinklers set up for the racers to run through to cool off a bit. I gladly took advantage of these benefits. Tents were set up post race with refreshment and food choices to help the runners recover. This, too, I took gladly took advantage of. Overall I enjoyed the morning and look forward to doing it again next year. The t-shirt designed for the event was nice, too.

Sunday, July 4, I had planned a trip to Natchitoches with my parents. After church we drove down to check out the activities, only to find out that most of the Front Street businesses were closed. We ate at the one restaurant that was open and looked through the available stores, then drove down to see a few of the plantation homes. My parents had never been to Natchitoches so all the closures were a bit disappointing. There was a fireworks show to begin at 9:30 on the river, but after driving to the plantations we still had three hours to kill and decided just to head back to Shreveport. I was disappointed not to be able to photograph some of the fireworks along the river but was met with one of the best sunsets I have seen in a while. It turned out to be an even better show than the fireworks. Overall my holiday was fun; I hope the same was true for you!

~Jerry