Frosty Fireworks

               On Saturday, the concluding celebration of the Appalachian & Frostburg histories was a day epitomized in a whirl of fun, laughter and music. Every person passed on Main St. did so with amusement and joviality, when locals and travelers could come together to commemorate this beautiful piece of Western Maryland. The Appalachian Festival was not appreciated only by adults, but children and even Frostburg students enjoyed the festivities held. All day, the smell of good food and the sound of good company permeated the air. Shrieks of laughter occasionally broke through the commotion of celebration surrounding the crowds. Anywhere in Frostburg one could find an activity to participate in or information to learn through enjoyable events, the beautiful weather allowing (more like encouraging at a refreshing 61°) basically any good fun.

                The real surprise, however, would be later that night. At 10 pm on Saturday, most Frostburg residents were startled out of the warmth of their homes by sudden, thunderous flashes in the night sky. Half-dressed and wrapped in quilts, the lower half of campus stumbled out into the crisp September night. As the crowds gathered to watch, cars stopped on the street and luckier people opened their blinds. Students shivered at the chill, most barefoot in their hastened rush.

To celebrate Frostburg’s Bicentennial, the 200^th birthday of this beautifully esoteric town, fireworks were set off close enough to campus for the sound to “rattle my dormitory windows,” Georgia Kelly claimed, still staring up at the display above, “I came outside as soon as I knew what it was.” The show elicited an excited response from not only students, but locals also congregated on their lawns to bond over one culture-transient event: fireworks! Just past the horizon behind the practice fields, color exploded in the night sky: a show noteworthy enough to commemorate Frostburg’s 200^th birthday. To accompany the show, music by WFWM Public Radio filtered through the speakers of parked cars on the street and TV shows played on, forgotten in homes.

So many seemed pleasantly surprised at the experience despite the cold: “Three years I’ve been here,” Kim Webster laughed with a knitted blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders to fight the chill, “and I’ve never seen fireworks.” Set off at a leisurely pace, the fireworks dragged on for the enduring onlookers; while pleasant, the cold was a little too much for some who retreated back to their residences. Yet for the half hour show, many enjoyed the display with howls of excitement and laughter. “This is a diversion. Something’s going on and they want us distracted,“ Jared Tuttle laughed to his collective friends, “Army’s posted on Main St., no way out!” Shouts of “America!” and cheers pervaded the thundering booms of the fireworks. For once, it seemed Frostburg would be able to bond over at least one delight and have something to talk about the next day, for the fireworks were a rare treat.

  The Frostburg Bicentennial celebration continues on today, September 16^th from noon until 6 pm with a barbeque held in the City Square parking lot.