The rockets’ red glare was on full display Friday night as hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of boats carrying even more thousands of boaters dispersed across the waters of Lakes Sinclair and Oconee, taking in dozens of shoreside fireworks shows in honor of our nation’s birthday.
Such was the case at a deep cove off Sinclair’s Clubhouse Road, near Crooked Creek Marina, where several hundred of those thousands gathered to witness dueling families light off a pair of annual displays — some big, some small, and some downright awe-inspiring — that would put many small-town shows to shame.
With each volley into the warm, night air, oohs and aahs involuntarily sounded across both land and water. Frequent rounds of applause and quick, appreciative blasts from a boat’s horn occasionally punctuated the pauses between aerial assaults, while booming explosions high above the Fourth of July flotilla always had the final say.
Uncle Sam was there, too, even helping occasionally to light off a few flaming fountains of colorful sparks.
At a time when it can sometimes be hard to appreciate what Independence Day is really all about - a time to recognize and celebrate a nation opposed to tyranny and foreign rule - it’s good to be reminded, via exploding shells and screaming bottle rockets, that there can still be beauty found in chaos.