Redskins and What Did We Do On Sunday Night?

As I wait for the Redskins Game to start within the hour, I am sitting at my computer playing those mind-freeing games that only take a part of my attention and allow me think about other things. And, so I started contemplating what we would be doing on a McLean Sunday night. The first answer that came to mind was Watching Ed Sullivan, of course. But then I remembered Disney, 60 Minutes and Star Trek and the occasional channel-changing battles. So.....what did you do on Sunday night?

None of this is really about McLean as none of the things I remembered were home town specific, except the Redskins, but I'd still like to know. What did your family and friends do on those last hours of the weekend?

And, as the "fireworks" came up on my computer screen after my last (winning) game of Spider Solitaire, I thought about what we did on the 4th of July. I know the 4th is long past, but I'm going there anyway.

We usually had fireworks in the front yard. Dad would set of the big ones and I'd get to write my name with sparklers and light those black snakes that ran all over the front porch that I loved and he hated becasue they left their black trails for days. Then we'd have neighbors over and grill burgers - probably venison burgers if you were at our house.

I was trying to remember who put off town fireworks in McLean. I remember (I think) parking on Dolly Madison Blvd. and watching fireworks from the car. These were put off by some organization like the Lion's Club, Veterans, or somebody like that. Who was it? Do you remember? And were they where I thought they were? Where were they actually set up? Were there other local fireworks? Did your neighborhood have their own? The only other "local" ones I remember, in addition to the National ones in DC which I did go to occasionally, were the ones at Wolf Trap.

All I can say about fireworks at Wolf Trap is ....... July 4, 1974.

(Okay, it's not all I can say, but it's important.) I was there with friends and as we waited for the excitement to start, the fireman doused the trees at the back of the natural amphitheatre to the left of the stage. It was dark and we were sitting on a blanket - typical for any time you'd watch fireworks and typical for any concert night at Wolf Trap. But this not to be a typical night. Eventually, the colorful show started to the cheers of the crowd and lasted about 5 minutes before a spark came down and hit the unused fireworks on the ground.....and it was the most spectacular show I've ever seen!!

Everybody ran for a few seconds, then some began to stop and the much smaller crowd turned back toward the trees and watched in silence and awe. The remainder of the show, except the finale, was ignited in one moment, one spectacular moment....and 30+ minutes of fireworks went off straight from the ground like one giant Roman Candle.

A few sparks reached the left side of the hill and, if I remember correctly, a couple of people were hurt, but not too badly. Everyone was very lucky!!!! And, if you managed to stay and not run all the way to your car - you saw a show to remember for the rest of your life!! I can't even offer enough adjectives to explain the beauty and power of the few minutes it took to complete the show. Oh what a night!!!

So, on those two typical American Family nights, what did you do? What happened in your life on Sunday after 7pm and what did you do in McLean on the 4th of July? Examining minds want to know, and so do I.