Jerry Katz suggested Opelika’s annual “Freedom Celebration” as a nice way to spend Friday evening. Head out to Opelika High School and extend the Fourth of July holiday a bit. It is an ephemeral thing, here one minute, bright and then falling to the ground and forgotten, except for the inevitable litter. So why not make it a several day celebration? A birth of a nation should merit that.

So we go watch kids play in the inflatables, blow bubbles, get balloon animals, listen to some music and generally have a nice quiet evening.

And then the organizers laughed at the dry conditions left by the drought and threw 22 minutes of gunpowder and charged explosives into the air.

The Fourth is a good holiday for traditions. We have ours. What are yours? What traditions will be started this year? Maybe a few in this video, which establishes the setting for the event, shows some of the atmosphere and the fireworks finale.

We had great seats. Everyone had great seats. Really nice time.