In July 1995, we had lived in Tallahassee for almost a year. We were still adjusting to life in Florida with two little kids. Tanner was 11 months old, and Jamie was two and a half. We decided to go to the Fourth of July celebration at Tom Brown Park. It sounded like a fun family activity, and we thought the kids would enjoy being outside.
We got to the park in the late afternoon. It was warm and humid, like a normal Florida summer day, with a few bright white clouds overhead. Families were already set up on the hillside around the pavilion stage. As we looked for a place to sit, we saw a grassy spot off to the right side of the stage that was still open. It seemed perfect. Close to the front, good view of everything, and space for the kids to move around.
We spread out our blanket, put sunscreen on Jamie and Tanner, and let them play with snacks and little toys. Event staff handed out glow bracelets and necklaces, and the kids had fun with those for a while. People kept arriving, and soon the whole hillside filled up. Strangely, only a few people joined us in the grassy area where we were sitting. We did not think much about it at the time.
Around eight o'clock, the event staff walked onto the stage to start things off. The first hint of trouble came when they did the mic check. The screech from the speaker was so loud that it made both Annette and me jump. We were only about twenty-five feet away from the sound system. That explained why the space around us was still open. By then, the park was crowded, and it was too late to move to another spot.
Before the music started, about 15 or 20 people came forward on the stage to take the oath of citizenship. It was neat to see that on the Fourth of July. It added something special to the evening that we did not expect.
Then the concert began. The volume was much louder than we anticipated. It felt like the sound was pushing right through us. The kids were holding up, but it was hard to ignore how loud it was. We stayed put because there was nowhere to go.
When the concert ended, we discovered the second reason hardly anyone had sat near us. Our blanket was very close to the fireworks launch area. We did not know that when we arrived. The first launch went off like a cannon. You could feel the rush of air and the vibration from each firework. Jamie and Tanner both started crying because the noise was so loud. This was before we ever knew about sound protection headphones for kids, so we covered their ears with our hands and did our best to comfort them.
Even with all of that, we stayed until the end. I have never enjoyed fighting traffic after big events, so staying put felt like the better choice. Once the fireworks ended and the crowds thinned, the evening finally cooled down. We played catch in the dark with the glow bracelets and necklaces. That part was fun and helped end the night on a better note.
It is a memory we still talk about. It was our first and last Fourth of July at Tom Brown Park, but it became one of those family stories that is more enjoyable to remember than it was to experience at the time.
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