On behalf of our family and 50 or so friends and neighbors who gathered at our home this Independence Day, we would like to thank The Hardware Store and friends for a beautiful and entertaining fireworks display.

Contrary to the ideas expressed by one critic, the tradition of fireworks on the Fourth was not “dumped in our lap” by Tom Stewart but rather has been a part of at least the last 31 summers that we have lived on the inner harbor. There will always be some who criticize expenditures for entertainment. Quite typically, they raise guilt issues in attempting to coerce others into sharing their point of view.

I suspect that the charitable contributions of the sponsors considerably exceed those of their critics. In any case, it should be obvious from the number of spectators who jammed the boats and shores and the traffic following the event that those who complain are in the minority. I submit that those who express a desire to reinvent Independence Day to exclude fireworks ought to listen closely to the words of our national anthem.

Again, bravo to the sponsors for a great show!

— Fred Pease

The noise is OK one day a year

Why is it that some people must suck the joy out of everything?

Yes, the Fourth of July is noisy, but it is one day a year. Yes, the noise will frighten some pets, but they should not be getting out if their owners are responsible.

Remember, the celebrations are not a surprise. What do these people do in a thunderstorm? I truly enjoyed the fireworks displays on the Fourth. Many other people also enjoyed them, as witnessed by the traffic jams.

If spending thousands of dollars for 30 minutes of entertainment is unconscionable, then only people who work on this Island should live here, since the money spent on ferries and commuting costs are in the millions.

No, some people must always drive their agendas, and if it means sucking the joy out of living, then so be it.

So, if you want to change the tradition of the Seder supper, go ahead, but it is no longer the Seder with 3,000 years of tradition. If you want to buy a live tree for Christmas because you are healing the earth, go for it, but do not judge those who cut trees as you do not — know what else they do to “heal the earth.”

— Robert Kajca

Nature’s fireworks

Lightning was a sight to behold

Thanks to Mother Nature for the fantastic thunder and lightening storm that went on for 12 hours (at least on the east side of Maury) starting the evening of July 3, through the morning of the Fourth.

Nature’s fireworks resumed again that night, so that while I was enjoying the gorgeous Quartermaster Harbor fireworks show from where I parked on 245th Street, I also saw expansive horizontal flashes of high altitude lightening that glowed like a flickering canopy over the holiday pyrotechnics. Certainly seemed like a magical synchronicity.

— Jade Grace