Fireworks thrill thousands of Bloomington residents

Tens of thousands of Hoosiers flocked to the IU Memorial Stadium Tuesday night for Bloomington's annual Fourth of July firework spectacular, a raucous firework display that gave viewers on lawns, in cars and trucks and in the streets a reason to gaze at the sky on Independence Day. \nBloomington resident David Cobb, chairman of the local AMVETS 2000 fireworks committee, said they raised about $30,000 to offer those flocking community members the best firework show Monroe County and all of Indiana has ever witnessed. He said his organization raised $5,000 more than last year, and AMVETS 2000 has a goal of one day competing with Washington, D.C.\nEven if they never match the U.S. capital's funding, Cobb said the annual Bloomington firework show may someday soon rival or outmatch other Midwest Fourth of July celebrations.\n"This year's show is better than 'ooh, ahh, ooh, ahh.' There won't be enough time in between bursts for that," he said about 10 minutes before show time. "There is one right after the other ... We're celebrating our nation's birthday, and we're having fun doing it."\nCobb said community members appreciative of the firework display should thank Nathon Kaiser and his Sky Magic Productions from Brazil, Ind., because the AMVETS 2000 only take credit for orchastrating the show - and nothing more. He said more than 120 volunteers helped put the spectacle together, thanks in large part to individual donors and other community support.\n"I hope people say 'this is the best firework show' they've ever seen in their life," Cobb said. "Nothing in Indiana will compare to this intensity and quality of shells. This is not our show. This is Bloomington's show ... We were concerned about the weather, but God was smiling on us today."\nSpencer, Ind. residents Joe Lacivita and Amanda Spinks attended the Bloomington firework show with their 4-month-old baby Blake, and they both agreed the 20 minute nighttime display was "awesome." They said they especially enjoyed the finale.\n"That was definitely better than the fireworks in Indianapolis last year," Spinks said. "Here you are a lot closer than in Indy and that makes it 10 times better. I was actually sitting straight up to see them."\nLacivita said they arrived at the IU Memorial Stadium at 7:30 p.m. for the 10:00 p.m. display to find a prime location to set up their lawn chairs because two hours early to the show in Indianapolis results in firework views miles away from the action.\n"It was fun getting here early because there are so many here and we got to enjoy the music," he said. "And we were sitting so close you could smell the food." \nBoth Lacivita and Spinks agreed the AMVETS 2000 did a "wonderful" job putting together Bloomington's annual firework show, and Spinks asked for the "same effort next year" if not more because the travel and wait was worth every firework bang, boom and pop. \nUnlike the safe distance community members sat from their comfort of their lawn chairs with sparklers in hand to witness the Bloomington firework show in celebration of U.S. independence Tuesday night, Bloomington resident Jenny Tracy said tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers face less colored explosions with the real possibility of carnage every time they step foot into a combat zone to help defend the exact U.S. freedom on display July 4.\nShe would know. Her husband is one of 50 Indiana National Guard soldiers from Monroe County serving in Iraq. \nFor the night, Tracy was stationed in the limestone gravel with her son parking lot south of the stadium, wedged somewhere between the music stage and the corndog vendor in a Family Readiness Group booth, to share word that "the Iraq War is still going on" and to seek community member support for the 152 Hoosier National Guard soldiers serving overseas. \n"When someone gets injured or killed, that's a struggle in the sense wives, mothers, husbands and fathers often do not know where to go for help," Tracy said. "There is a lot of red tape in understanding the military and the avenues you have to take."\nAlso known as the Indiana National Guard Family Program, the Family Readiness Group provides information, referrals, outreach and follow-up for family members of U.S. soldiers from financial management to psychological strains to tools for coping with separation and reunion issues.\nTracy's booth offered community members U.S. flags of all shapes and sizes in exchange for donations to pay for care packages and she said Hoosiers can "adopt-an-Indiana soldier" for $15 to help brighten their darkest of days. An adoption package sends one Hoosier serving overseas a "Hurry Home" bear and map of Iraq, among other artifacts. \n"There is a big difference between the traditional weekend warrior -- one weekend per month and two weeks per year -- to 18 months of Army only combat," she said. "I, like other military families, worry about my husband getting killed. Will he come home? Will my son get to know his daddy?"\nTracy said community members should utilize celebrations of U.S. independence to remember U.S. soldiers are still fighting in Iraq and they seek support both financial and public support because they are human beings too. She said she supports the military and their efforts but she wishes community members would offer more support for military families.\n"I think you pretend to get used to it. Sometimes, in my mind, I forget he's at war and doing his job," Tracy said. "If I lived my life worrying about him I couldn't function ... When he comes home we want to be the best family we can be."\nMeanwhile, Bloomington's annual firework show offered Tracy and tens of thousands of other Hoosiers free parking, free live music and a safe place for Independence Day fun.