Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  Nederland volunteers put on a fantastic Fourth of July celebration. It was a down home, simple but spectacular day, just the way a mountain town Independence Day should be.

Before the parade headed up First Street led by the Nederland Police Department; before the bouncy games were set up at the park and the musicians began to entertain the picnickers, and before the first big boom resounded its announcement of the start of the fireworks, a handful of volunteers had to put the pieces all together to make it happen.

For the past month, Barbara Hardt, Mandy Knear and Laurie Roberts have been pulling in the necessary funds to pay for the fireworks and the bouncy bull riding and the necessary funds to make it all safe and organized. They put out the donation jars and stood in the roundabout, flagging down neighbors, and strangers, asking for money. Fireworks don’t just happen.

It began with the parade which lures all kinds of people, vehicles, critters and and bands to march up First Street and be hailed and cheered by a thousand spectators in various shades of red, white and blue. Local businesses and non-profits carry banners and throw candy, getting their name out there, proudly announcing that they are active participants in our community.

The Barker Dam Big Brass Band has been playing parade favorites for decades, their shiny instruments reflecting the noon day sun as they bring a good, old-timey feeling to the two-times-around entourage. This year a kazoo band added its raspy voice to the mix.

Horses strutted up First Street, their heads held high, the ears forward as if they enjoyed the fuss; a pony trotted forward, its lush forelock flying past its eyes. Dogs, on leash, watched the crowd as they marched, wondering if a treat would come their way. A couple dogs rode on the handlebars of bicycles. Ned folks love their furry best friends.

A Nederland Fire Protection District rescue truck drenched the bystanders with water from a high-powered squirt gun. The girl scouts had their own arsenal. It was a perfect temperature for a parade and a little cool water felt good.

Dozens of kids piled onto the top of a fire engine, a red one of course, and waved at the crowd, a moment to remember, a time to feel part of it all, to be recognized as a full-fledged member of Nederland’s elite firefighting team.

Four-wheelers, tractors, convertibles and classics all had a chance to get out of their garages, their fields and their sheds and show off a little, either their amazing paint jobs, or their large wheels. Each of the parade entries was announced as it neared Salto, the information delivered by a young runner with pink hair.

When the parade was over and the streets cleared except for the holiday traffic streaming through town, plumes of smoke from residential grills diffused into a lovely aroma of charred beef, chicken and brats, which hovered at nose height over town.

It was time to get serious about food.

Locals shopped and cooked, created pot luck classics and joined others in the summertime tradition of eating outside together. Chipeta Park filled up with picnickers spreading blankets on the recently mowed grass, claiming their fireworks spot as the kids ran round and round, rode the bull that was activated by anyone who wanted to offer a helping hand or a hefty bounce off the buoyant bull. Dogs played with each other, groups of musicians picked and sang while they picnicked and the feeling of peace and good will drifted in and out with the breeze.

As the temperature dropped and dark descended, anticipation was palpable. Every now and then a lone bottle rocket would wend its way toward the stars and the crowd that was growing along the shores of Barker Reservoir would cheer, just because they were ready to cheer. The bottle rockets sizzled. Some popped. Everyone found a place of their own where they had a good view of the sky, which was everywhere. Then from the road overlooking Chipeta Park, a siren wailed into the darkness. Horns answered with frenzied honks and kids shrieked and adults yelled their appreciation. The show was about to begin.

Boom! Crackle. Whistle. Fizzle.

“Wow.” Whoa.” “

Oh, yeah.”

Children snuggled under the blankets as they leaned back, their eyes on the sky. Adults leaned into each other. Lucky kids swirled sparklers in two minutes of dazzling light.

When the grand finale began, the cheers were non-stop as the sky lit up with brilliant colors and shapes, overlapping and disappearing and then exploding again, and again.

When the last bit of pyrotechnic splatter drifted onto the water, there was another volley of horn honking, and the engines came to life as everyone headed to what they thought was the fastest way out of town.

There was no fast way out of town.

The NPD officers and many volunteers kept the traffic moving slowly and carefully. It seemed as if everyone cheerfully and patiently waited their turn, filled with the good feelings of having spent an old-fashioned Fourth of July in a small mountain town where a group of people cared enough to keep the tradition going, here where it belongs.

This was a day to share and remember thanks to the hard work of the Nederland volunteers who made it happen.