Blasts from the past give way to lasers of the future

By Pat Clark
pclark@modbee.com

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I'm having mixed feelings about the switch from the Modesto Jaycees' traditional July Fourth fireworks celebration at John Thurman Field to this year's laser show at Enslen Park.

On one hand, I understand the allure of change. Laser shows are modern and flashy -- a techno marvel in this increasingly techno world. Trying new things leads to progress. Progress is good.

Fireworks are old hat.

On the other hand, fireworks on the Fourth of July -- crowned brilliantly in that tired old hat of red, white and blue -- are a tradition that's been handed down from generation to generation. Fireworks are as intrinsic as the American flag when it comes to the annual celebration of our nation and its independence.

Come to think of it, I'm not having such mixed feelings after all -- I'm against it.

Mostly, my naysaying stems from childhood memories -- the good kind that seem to grow better over the years.

When I was a kid, my brother and sister and their families would gather every year at my folks' house for a big meal on the Fourth. Since my siblings are 13 and 14 years older than me, their kids were more like little brothers and sister than nephews and niece.

After dinner, we'd pile into pickups -- including my Dad's old yellow Ranchero -- and head to the Tuolumne River bridge, where we'd join a long line of cars parked on the shoulder holding a long line of anticipating families.

Way back then, a pile of kids riding in the back of a pickup wasn't illegal. Heck, we didn't even know it wasn't safe. We thought it was the best part of summer, rolling around the truck bed, the wind walloping our faces and blowing our hair all around.

We'd lounge on blankets while munching on bags of chips and drinking bottles of soda. Sometimes we'd pass the time playing Yahtzee or cards and wait for dusk to turn to dark. Then, from the cheap (OK, free) seats, we'd lay back and watch as the bombs began to burst in air over Del Webb Field (now renamed John Thurman).

We'd ooh and ahh and declare each round either a winner or a dud.

Then the grand finale -- multiple blasts and bursts and explosions of sparkling color hitting the black sky all at once -- would hit and cheers would erupt from each car dotting the road.

It was an annual rite, as familial and traditional as Christmas around a tree. And even as we kids grew older and the tradition gave way to scattered lives, there was something about knowing those fireworks were there year after year -- even if the driving laws and park name changed -- that was comforting.

Full disclosure: As warm as those memories remain, I've never taken my son to Thurman Field -- or the bridge -- for fireworks on the Fourth of July. As family traditions go, that one did die out. You can't really park on the bridge anymore and you certainly can't caravan over in the beds of pick-up trucks.

We've adopted a new tradition of gathering at my house or my sister's, eating until we're stuffed and then shooting off fireworks in the front yard for the latest crew of little ones.

Even though I gave up the simple pleasure of fireworks at the ballpark, I'm still saddened that the pyrotechnics won't be shooting off there this year.

It shouldn't smart, but somehow it does.

Far be it for me to suggest that today's young families won't enjoy a new tradition of piling into their cars and heading over to Enslen Park for the laser spectacular. Fresh oohs and ahhs surely will come and go.

Still, I can't help but lament the loss of (legal) fireworks over Modesto on the Fourth of July.

It kind of feels like Christmas without a tree.

Elsewhere around the Scene: A Summer Zydeco Dance Party hits Black Oak Casino on Saturday with local favorites the BluesBox Bayou Band. The event begins at 9 p.m. at the casino, 19400 Tuolumne Road, North Tuolumne. For more, see www.blackoakcasino.com/entertain/entertain_lineup.htm.

Local indie/progressive rock/pop group Boscoe's Brood heads out on a weeklong tour of the Pacific Northwest on Monday. Boscoe's Brood recently completed its self-title debut CD, available at cdbaby.com. Find out more about the band at www.myspace.com/boscoesbrood.

Modesto R&B/hip-hop artist Fig.Mutant releases his new CD, "Fight or Die," at a party Thursday at the Fat Cat in downtown Modesto. Doors open at 7 p.m. and entry is $15. The Fat Cat is at 950 11 St. For more, see www.myspace.com/figmutant.

Reach Scene editor Pat Clark at pclark@modbee.com.