Having worked in a few "fancy" restaraunts and having done my share of formal high brow events including wine tasting,wasp weddings and Honorary Virginian Day events I pooh stuff like this as if it where the plague.However,two words I spy almost make me thing it might really be worth it.The words Sequoia and fireworks.Fireworks from a grand old ship?Yeah,I could handle that for a night.Maybe!Truth is that here in our neck of the woods we do things a bit differently.Our little mountain town may be small but we do know how to kick it out on the 4th.Starting out at about sundown until about 1 or 2 in the morning this place turns into a war zone.None of that safe and sane crap either(sorry Ted).Someone,somewhere will touch off a brick of Black Cats and then someone down the road will follow with a salvo of bottle rockets.Of course that will prompt someone to touch off a few mortar rounds followed by someone firing up the loudest and most crackly cake in their stash.Nobody wants to be the one who gets outdone around here.Best part is that in my lifetime I've never seen anyone hurt in any way at all.Don't do something stupid and you wont hurt yourself!Period!
Alas,however,there was a time for a couple of years there when we used to have our carnival on the 4th.That was when we still had a carnival.Thanks to one asshole with all of the parking spaces having it out with the F.D. that all came to an end.Anyhow,the fireworks wouldn't start until midnight and there would be a live band as well as just a crapload of energy in the air.Those where the days.I wouldn't trade all of that for a boatride to China.

Why the hell should we have to suffer just because some dumbass from North Park blew his stupid hand off?-Stan Marsh