I’m on my lunch break, so I figured it would be time to post the fireworks fotos from last night at the Capitol. Some people prefer to go to the vicinity of the rodeo grounds in Mandan and have a tailgate party, while others prefer to attend the Symphony performance on the steps of the capitol building. We attend the latter. The Symphony performed some original material tonight, as well as some old favorites and Independence Day staples.

The are around the capitol was busy, but not as packed as the Capitol Mall itself. The grounds were closed to vehicle traffic and the crowd was of a good size. It didn’t compare to the 1989 celebration of the state’s centennial, but nothing really could. We were fortunate to get a spot up near the steps.

Nobody knew until the last minute whether the fireworks would be allowed to proceed, but thankfully they were given the green light. The parking lot east of the Highway Department building had a bunch of Fire Department officials parked there in their Suburbans, having a meeting of the minds to determine whether the risk outweighed the rewards. The breeze from earlier in the day subsided, they had hosed down the grass surrounding the fireworks staging area, and we got a really nice show.

I filled three 1-gigabyte cards with fireworks, and haven’t had a chance to find “the” photo of the evening. They’re all pretty good…they put on a heck of a show for us! I like the added touch that they always use the windows of the capitol building to display things such as the year on New Year’s Day, or “4th” for Independence Day.

Lunch break’s over…back to work! Hope you enjoy the photos and were able to partake in last night’s activities for yourself.

Today was the annual parade in Mandan, and our cameras (both of them) were there. This is a huge event for Mandan — its biggest — and I bet they wish that they could have people streaming over from Bismarck in these numbers all the time!

The crowd was huge. I did the usual “show up 20 mins early and sit on the east end” routine. It’s the fastest way in and out of town. Simply park over by Bonanza, walk a little ways, and catch the parade participants as they make the turn onto Main Street.

Of course, we started with the honor guard. It was great to see that a lot of the crowd actually had an idea about flag ettiquette; removing hats, that sort of thing. I always think of a picture I saw from a parade one time…the color guard was going past with the flags, and the ONLY one standing at attention was an old man in a wheelchair, who still managed to stand for his country’s flag. That’s deplorable…we should all display a sense of honor, duty, and patriotism when those colors fly.

Naturally, all the kids were lined up for the candy. All the spectators were so enthusiastic that the police had to keep reminding them to stand back. This was especially imporant around the corner; a lot of the equipment has difficulty turning in a confined space like that.

Of course, there were lots of people handing out candy as well. Many just threw the candy down and let the kids dive for it. This girl preferred the one-on-one approach.

Here are the heroes of the parade. Whenever a group of soldiers would go by, the crowd clapped, cheered, yelled “Thank you!” and waved their appreciation. There was a group in the parade marching to honor our fallen soldiers as well.

These are the unsung heroes of any parade; the people who follow the horses. It’s not a pretty job, but someone has to do it. Things could get pretty ugly (and fragrant) if these guys weren’t volunteering to swing a shovel!

There was a martial arts display as well. I used to take part in this one, it’s a blast. Throwing someone around on a trailer like that is a blast…one can really piledrive an adversary into the mat and the springs on the trailer take up all the impact!

Some of the BNSF guys were able to stop for a little bit and take in the parade as well. This train had a lot of loaded coal cars on it and there were apparently some cars being removed on the other end, so these guys got to see part of the parade.

Redefining the meaning of the term “Service Charge” — and its limits — for over 150 years!

This was a great time and the weather was beautiful. Although it was in the low 90s today, it didn’t feel that way. There were some neat floats, but for the most part it seemed it was vehicles with advertising stuck on them. I’d hoped for more homemade floats. There were a bunch, though; for instance, Leingang Siding & Windows had one in the shape of a big cake celebrating Morton County’s 125th. Savvy skate & snow shop had a neat display too, and an army of skaters performing along the way. Earl Pomeroy was there, hoping nobody remembered that he voted NO on a bill in the US House declaring “that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.” Governor Hoeven, on the other hand, was walking with North Dakota soldiers. You’re not fooling anyone, Earl.

Time went pretty quickly…it’s not that hard to spend a couple hours out in the sun when there’s such a sense of community in the air. One thing you can count on with Mandan’s annual parade, thousands of people will show up in unity and celebrate our nation. It sure was a great day to be an American!