Laura Glesby photo
Two new friends connected over a board game, and others reflected about the meaning of the holiday, as hundreds gathered at Wilbur Cross High School’s athletic field Thursday night for a view of the Fourth of July fireworks display at East Rock Park.
Various branches of city government, including the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Trees, collaborated to hold the fireworks event in honor of the national holiday.
Some set up camp in the school’s parking lots and tennis courts, opting for a less crowded view.
It was Melissa Marks’ first time seeing the fireworks in New Haven. She came by herself, having just held a barbecue with her mother. “I’m here to enjoy the breeze, record the fireworks, and put it on Facebook,” she laughed.
For Gerene Freeman and Pam Bivens, the holiday was about more than barbecues and games.
“I don’t celebrate it because Black Americans were not free on the Fourth of July,” Bivens said. “I’m just here because I love fireworks.”
The pair had known each other since their teenage years. At 19, Freeman taught a writer’s workshop that Bivens, then in high school, attended.
Freeman added that she celebrates Juneteenth, the June 19th holiday commemorating the emancipation of slaves in the United States, instead of July 4th. “Maybe when things change in the country, we’ll be able to celebrate both,” she said. But right now, in terms of racial justice, “it feels like we’re going backwards.”
Maya Macrease came to the athletic field with a jumbo-sized Connect Four game — and left having made a new friend.
Her opponent had seen the game and approached her, ready to play.
“She’s a cheater at this game,” he joked. Macrease had just thwarted his attempt at a win.
Before she could learn the boy’s name, his parent called him over. He scampered off, forfeiting the game.
WYBC FM played music from a tent at the field’s center. The music, according to WYBC’s Super Producer Big Ern, was a mix of “hits and oldies.”
Big Ern took the mic to introduce Mayor Toni Harp. The mayor led the crowd in a countdown to the first burst of light.
The music shifted to American-centric tunes, including the national anthem, as the fireworks began. The sky lit up in fountain-like formations, smiley faces, sideways hearts, squiggles, and seemingly-random pops of color.
