by Alex Lloyd Gross
The weather was not ideal for a fireworks display yesterday evening, rain turned into a torrential downpour in northeast Philadelphia. There was supposed to be a car show in the early afternoon which did happen. In fact there were over 60 classic cars which showed up. Food trucks and large crowds. . The weather was a lot cooler than July 4th but it was still hot.
While the Big Boy train exhibit at the Navy Yard was cut short due to the heat., the festivities for July 5 in Lawncrest went on as scheduled. Except for an appearance by Mayor Cherelle Parker. She was supposed to be there about 3:30 PM but did not show. A lot of people are furious that she spent $15.5 million on a concert that cost a fraction of that in years past. That concert went way over time limits which upset a lot of the concertgoers and residents who live along the Ben Franklin Partway.
By 6:00 PM large crowds usually start to gather in a field waiting for the fireworks. Last night, the only thing gathering at 6:00 PM were rain clouds. By 7:00 PM most folks had left the area. It was pouring. When the rain stopped shortly before 8:00 PM, people had no idea if the fireworks would go off or not.
Parking was plentiful and there were only a few people there. Most thought the fireworks would be canceled.People kept being told the fireworks were still on. The pyro crew was in the field, putting finishing touches on the computer program that would control the display. By 9:00 PM, the fireworks had started. For about 20 minutes, the crowd grew larger and streets were filled with people happy to see the firework display. When it was over, those that got there early got out quickly. Everyone else got stuck in traffic.