Fireworks at Kill Devil Hills, Friday July 7, 2017.What a great Independence Day week we just had here on the Outer Banks--parades, fireworks and small town feel made it ideal. Everything just seemed to fall into place to create a memorable time.
July 4th, the official holiday, sure was fun. Yes, there were some weather issues—the Whalehead Club had to cancel their fireworks because of storms—but there were enough celebrations elsewhere to make up for that.
The Celebrations
We always start at the town of Duck's Independence Day parade because it is such a perfect reminder of what Outer Banks life is all about. Then it was off to Manteo with its small town feel and a wonderful evening of music from the 208th Army Band at Roanoke Island Festival Park.
Yes, it was raining just a bit, but it never rained hard at all and the umbrellas were out. Off in the distance we could see the Nags Head fireworks going off, and then it was Manteo's turn, and the town truly seemed to outdo themselves this year.
Extending Independence Day Celebrations
What really seemed to mark the 2017 celebrations as different was a classic example of making lemons from lemonade.
It seems licensed fireworks companies were in short supply this year, and the town of Kill Devil Hills couldn't find anyone who could qualify to put on a show on the Fourth. They were able, though, to schedule their display on Friday.
A bit of a delay but it seemed to change the feel for the week. Somewhat like stretching Christmas out to three or four days.
The beach was packed on both sides of Avalon Pier where the fireworks were lit, and no matter what the location on the beach, the show was spectacular.
It was a nice way to celebrate our nation's birth and a great way to remember there is far more that binds us as Americans than it may appear at times.
