Glendale Fireworks
by Stormy on July 01, 2007
It's more topical for Canada Day than for Independence Day, but an opportunity to see fireworks is a chance to have some fun.
When you're a small municipality landlocked by a larger city, you try to do stuff that makes you stand out. Such is the case with Glendale, Colorado. The 4,200 person, 0.54 square mile island of Arapahoe County is surrounded by the much larger City and County of Denver. Identity and individuality can be a challenge, but to make up for that, the City of Glendale does things that may otherwise be considered unorthodox. One great example is the annual fireworks show.
This year Glendale's Fireworks were more appropriate for the July 1 celebration of Canada Day than for the American Independence Day, but that did not stop thousands of people from flowing into the small community to see the show.
In the evening Star and I headed out for dinner in Glendale's Sam Taylor's Bar-B-Que, at what many would argue is a top casual ribs and steak restaurant in Denver. Home style cooking and a laid-back atmosphere give the restaurant a certain air of comfort and Sam Taylor himself wanders about the main room, chatting with the patrons and making sure that nothing is left undone.
By 9 PM Star and I were on the hill overlooking the Four Mile Historic Park and the Cherry Creek Valley, ready to watch the early fireworks. The gathering crowds easily tripled or quadrupled the population of this small town, but other than an occasional angry honk as vehicles battled for parking spaces, there was an air of excitement and anticipation for the earliest fireworks show in Colorado!
Small as Glendale is, they go all out for the fireworks display, rivaling those of larger cities around out. No doubt the extra work done and the early date pay off in tax dollars as visitors flood into the city, shop and eat, in anticipation of the show.
By 10 PM everything's over. Now the honking begins as thousands of people all try to leave at the same time. It's slow going, but well worth the wait. Glendale's fireworks are an annual favorite for many people.
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