Published Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Music and Fireworks Sparkle in July 4 Heat

 “The fireworks are shooting through the moon!” shouted one little boy, as colorful explosions appeared to vie for space in the sky with an orangey half-moon. At Koka Booth Amphitheatre’s Independence Day Celebration, the fireworks that started after dark were the evening’s headliner, but the festival’s offerings started hours earlier. 

As early as 4 p.m., Applause! Cary Youth Theatre performed a patriotic play called “We the People,” and the Triangle Model Yacht Club sailed boats on Symphony Lake next to the amphitheatre as part of the Indy Model Boat Regatta. 

Town of Cary Cultural Arts Manager Lyman Collins said the Booth Amphitheatre Fourth of July event was a popular one each year. “We counted 9,968 people inside the gates, but thousands more were in the immediate vicinity—probably around 20,000,” Collins said. “We added activities for the kids last year, and we will probably extend those next year. We want to continue the fun family atmosphere.” 

In late afternoon, Deborah Johnson, of Orringer Lamm Events, sat with her t-shirt sleeves rolled up under a tent in the Family Fun Zone. With temperatures in the mid-90s, at least she had a squirt bottle full of water. As a temporary tattoo artist, she was busy using the sprayed water to apply designs to ankles, biceps and faces. 

“I’ve been here since 10:30 setting up, and I’ll be here til 7 [ p.m.],” Johnson said. “We are drinking lots of water and putting cold towels around our necks. But it’s been a beautiful day—I really enjoy pleasing little kids and making them happy.” 

Near Johnson’s booth, children and adults were lining up for fun on the inflatables in the Family Fun Zone. Shade and a slight breeze were a welcome respite from the lawn in front of the amphitheatre, and festival-goers rode an inflatable “bucking bull,” played water tag with water guns in an inflatable maze and slid down inflatable slides. 

By the time the Cary Town Band started playing at 5:45 p.m., crowds were pouring in to get good seats for the music and fireworks. Justin Balch, stationed in Goldsboro with the Air Force, was there with five friends. “I’ve been here to see the Symphony before, but this is the first time on the Fourth of July,” he said. 

American flags flew from every post along Regency Parkway, flanked the amphitheatre and dotted the tables on the Crescent Deck near the concessions. 

But it was still hot. Paper fans with the evening’s program printed on the back were “hot” commodities. Lying on a towel in the amphitheatre’s Bermuda grass, the heat radiated up from the ground like an electric blanket set on high.  

For the younger set, a “mist tent” down by Symphony Lake was the ticket out of the heat. Just a couple of pass-throughs produced drenched but happy children. 

The North Carolina Symphony opened its program with a tribute to the armed forces. Assistant Conductor Carolyn Kuan invited members of the military to stand when their theme song was played in the medley, Servicemen on Parade.

 The Symphony played two selections from John Williams, who Kuan called “a quintessentially American composer”—the theme and main title from Star Wars and Olympic Fanfare. 

Night fell as Gershwin’s An American in Paris Suite danced through the audience, and children’s multicolored glow necklaces lit up patches of lawn.  

The evening was capped by Independence Day fireworks. Oohs and ahs as well as baby cries were audible in between explosive bursts. Fire in the sky seemed just the right end to a hot July day.