Abilene’s Awesome Fireworks Show: Followed by the Fire Scare

Fireworks in Abilene have been a tradition for at least half a century. However, this year felt a little different, with the Fourth of July celebrated on Wednesday, July 3rd. Nonetheless, the display was beautiful and incredible, leaving me to say, "Wow! This is happening in our city, how awesome is this?"

Another thing that felt a bit odd was the location of this year's fireworks. The WesTex Connect Fireworks Spectacular was conducted at Wylie Independent School District's Hugh Sandifer Stadium, next to Wylie High School. I loved it because it was right outside my backdoor, as you'll see in the video below.

The WesTex Connect folks who put this on did an incredible job, and I understand why they moved from the City of Abilene property to the Wylie ISD property, where they can recoup some of the money spent annually on these expensive displays.

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The fireworks were eye-dazzling and made one feel proud to be an American celebrating Independence Day. As you watch my homemade video, keep an eye on the lower left-hand side of the screen. You'll notice an orange glow where a grassfire began lighting up the night.

If you listen closely, you'll hear a firetruck engine roaring to get there and stomp out the fire (no sirens, just the engine roar). That's when I hopped in my truck and drove down the street to see what all the commotion was about.

I said a quick prayer for all the first responders (firefighters and APD) who had their hands full. To me, it felt like there were a million people there, and disarray and chaos had taken over. I carefully made my way back home safely to spend the evening with my neighbors, discussing the events.

In closing, I'm thankful that nobody was hurt, and can't thank the AFD and the APD for taking care of us and that we got to see some great fireworks!