A Super Finale To A Super Day

By Nancy K. Crevier

As dusk fell over Fairfield Hills and the Tercentennial Celebration Saturday, August 6, the atmosphere took on the feel of a gigantic family reunion. Hundreds of picnickers feasted on delicacies brought from home or purchased at one of the busy food tents staffed by the local fire companies, the mouth-watering scent of grilled burgers and fried chicken wafted over the field, spontaneous games of flag football, tag, and Frisbee popped up, and scores of children dashed about under a pink-and-purple-tinted sky.

Young and old engaged in animated chatter as they set up chairs and tossed down blankets in anticipation of the piece de resistance of the daylong festivity: the fireworks display.

“I have bug spray!” yelled one prepared viewer, tossing the bottle to another group that was swatting gnats.

“Do you have a flashlight?” yelled another. Several families sported tiaras and necklaces fashioned from glow-sticks, helping them to stand out as the crowd swelled.

“Where are those kids?” was a common question as dusk deepened and landmarks melted into shadows. Then the first stars appeared, and all eyes looked westward, scanning the sky above the Queen Street field a mile away.

“Look! Fireworks!” shouted a young boy, and the crowd cheered as first one, then another, teaser lit the sky with a burst of blue and gold. Holding their collective breath, the crowd waited. Would the Tercentennial Fireworks be a dud or a delight?

With an explosion of color and an echoing report, the question was answered. Unrestrained “oohhs” and “aahhs” filled the air, and for the next 30 minutes, one display after another took the breath away from even the most seasoned fireworks viewers.

“This is better than Disney!” exclaimed Matt Iassogna, who with his parents, Mike and Linda, watched the fireworks from a blanket in the center of the field.

“Fabulous!” “Incredible!” “Marvelous!” The superlatives rolled off the tongues of everyone present, and wild clapping rose into the air as stupendous formations of color and light exploded, each one more magnificent than the last.

From the initial flash to the several-minutes-long grand finale, every face remained turned to the sky, eyes riveted on a fireworks display as spectacular as the event it honored: Newtown’s 300th Anniversary.