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Post by whipea on Jul 5, 2014 14:52:33 GMT
Every year I skip the fireworks and other holiday festivities due to the crowds. I feel like I am cheating myself, but the thought of fighting for parking miles from the event, drunk and/or rude people, and the general closeness to others to me is no fun. I don't think I am neurotic, but never enjoyed crowded venues. Being bumped, stepped on and generally smushed is not my idea of a pleasant evening. I live in an urban area so that may contribute. When I was a child my parents gave up on taking me to crowded events because I would always vomit.
I keep thinking when I retire I will move to a small town and be able to enjoy parades, fireworks and other events where there won't be a crush of drunk/rude humanity. Those of you in small towns, is this true? Are community festivities pleasant to attend? Or is it the same but on a smaller scale?
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QueenoftheSloths
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Post by QueenoftheSloths on Jul 5, 2014 15:13:14 GMT
I live in a small town, and people come from all over for the parade and fireworks. They are loud, they are rude, they are drunk. A sad fact of events is that they attract a crowd, otherwise there would be no events.
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lindas
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Post by lindas on Jul 5, 2014 15:13:27 GMT
I guess it would depend on where the small town is. I know when we lived in MD we hardly ever went to things due to crowds. Now I live in DE and while Dover isn't that small it has all the small town feel. We participate in almost all the parades with our car club every year, go the the fireworks and festivals. It's much more laid back here.
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Post by chaosisapony on Jul 5, 2014 15:20:52 GMT
I went to a small town in Northern California to see the fireworks at their fairgrounds last night. They had people directing traffic so parking was easy. There were food vendors, face painters, balloon animal maker people, etc. All the people and kids were very nice there, they even said "sorry" when they accidentally bumped into you. At the end of the night everyone was quite patient while the parking lots emptied out and there were no problems there. Over all it was much easier and way more fun than I thought it would be. Even though it was a small town there were still several thousand people at that fairgrounds and I really expected it to be kind of awful but everyone was really pleasant!
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Post by heather on Jul 5, 2014 15:25:12 GMT
Ugh. Drunks keep me home too. Especially because I wonder how many of them will be driving after the event.
It really sucks that I don't feel comfortable taking my kids to sporting events due to drunken behavior. The large quantities of alcohol being consumed and the competitive nature of the event seem to bring out the absolute worst in people. And it only takes a handful of these idiots to ruin it for everyone else.
That being said, our local MLB park does have family sections. We take advantage of those and haven't had any issues. Too bad our NFL and NHL teams don't do the same.
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Post by Princess Pea on Jul 5, 2014 15:36:23 GMT
Our town is about 30,000 people. We have a new shopping center that is quite big for our town size, but it attracts people from all around. They have a fireworks show there every year put on by the plant nursery owner. He is very patriotic and he used to pay for the whole thing himself. I think the city pays for at least part of it now. Some years we go to the shopping center to watch, but last night we got lucky and were invited to a grillout at a house near the fireworks. We were able to watch everything, but we weren't there in all of the crowd.
*highjack* I don't drink and neither does anyone in my close family or friends circle. I don't understand why people have to get drunk at public events and ruin the fun for those who are around them. If you want to get drunk at your own house, fine, but don't do it in public and be obnoxious.
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Post by grammyj64 on Jul 5, 2014 15:46:49 GMT
I'm another who no longer goes out to fireworks events. You have to get there so early and fight all the crowds for 30 minutes worth of activity. I get claustrophobic in crowds - first time I remember feeling that way was at a political rally when I was a child. The crush to get the free barbecue almost crushed me amid a throng of adults - couldn't see, couldn't breathe, and was just getting pushed along, so I had no control over anything. Scary! I don't like being in circumstances that cause me to relive that scene.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 5, 2014 15:52:40 GMT
I'm not a big fan of crowds, so I avoid a lot of festival type events. I don't mind concerts or sporting events, since you have assigned seats and don't feel crushed.
I also hate the heat, so rarely go to summer parades or fireworks.
On the other hand, I go to the Mall of America Thanksgiving weekend every year and the crowds don't bother me a bit!
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Post by fruitysuet on Jul 5, 2014 15:56:32 GMT
I'm thinking that the UK version of small town may be considerably smaller than you are meaning.
I understand what you mean with the crowds though. I don't like shopping at busy times of the year and also don't like very busy events. I made my DH take DD and her friends to the One Direction concert for example. Sometimes I'll make the effort for a special event with the family though.
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Post by GiantsFan on Jul 5, 2014 16:20:02 GMT
We went to a fireworks show last night in a neighboring town. It was a family friendly event - no drinking, no smoking. There were lots of people, maybe more than 5,000. It wasn't bad, but not something we will do routinely. BTW ~ in 21 years together this was our first (DH and me) Independence Day fireworks show. We've seen fireworks together at ballgames and such, but never on Independence Day. (This year we didn't have a dog to stay home with and console. ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/5645536/images/mYSUyHtG9Jrcmm_ydVcK.jpg) )
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Post by pb on Jul 5, 2014 16:29:51 GMT
I live in a small town outside Spokane and people come to see our firework show when they can also go to Downtown Spokane or Coeur d'Alene. I always go to the parade but we walk down so we don't deal with parking and we skip the concert in the park. If it is someone really good we can sit outside on the deck and listen. And if we really wanted to go we would walk. If we want to see the fireworks we meet up with friends, hop on their boat, and watch from the middle of the lake. Or we are at a friend's house in the hills and wait a while for the traffic to subside before we drive back home.
Our police do a really good job with traffic so it moves pretty quickly.
I don't like crowds either so the small town thing works for me and the boys like the traditions.
In our area a lot of small towns put on celebrations. Ours is almost all community run so that adds a nice flavor.
PB
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Post by Linda on Jul 5, 2014 16:34:01 GMT
the parade we went to yesterday was very small-town - it was just perfect for me. No crowds, short and sweet, no traffic. Okay so there was one police car, one firetruck, a handful of politicians, shriners in small cars, a couple of old cars and trucks and some horses (my daughter rode a horse) and that was the whole parade but it had that festive feeling without being overwhelming to me.
I never go to the big fireworks events but sometimes we've found out of the way places where we can watch them from a distance and that's been nice. Last year we went to a friend's house that was close to the fairgrounds where the fireworks were - that was perfect.
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Post by karen on Jul 5, 2014 17:25:52 GMT
We went to a small town parade yesterday morning, and the fireworks display last night. Neither were overly crowded. Parking was easy, and getting there and back home was easy. Plus, seeing the people in the parade having so much fun was a lot of fun.
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Post by lumo on Jul 5, 2014 17:29:15 GMT
DH and I were just talking about this yesterday. Our city has a big festival downtown on the 4th, and part of us feels like we should take DD to these kinds of things, but the other part of us HATES events like that. It's just wall-to-wall people, and most are drunk, and it's hot with not a lick of shade. It's like a little personal hell to me. No thanks.
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Post by Belia on Jul 5, 2014 17:33:01 GMT
We're really lucky- we live one block away from our town's parade route, so it could not be any easier for us to pop over and watch the parade, then pop back home. We have to drive to our town's fireworks, but even then- we figured out a good place to park where we can get out relatively quickly. It took a few years to figure it out, though.
I know what you mean about the crowds, though. I posted in another thread- a neighboring town is having a big festival tonight that would be perfect to take the kids to, but I just don't think I'm up to fighting the crowds by myself to park, shuttle or walk forever over to the fest, then navigate the crowds. Just not worth it.
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Post by myboysnme on Jul 5, 2014 17:34:27 GMT
I hate crowds and I especially hate drunks.
I don't go to festivals, fireworks, shows, concerts or any of those crowd/drunk venues.
I do miss seeing fireworks on July 4th, but last night some neighbors were setting off some nice ones and I saw them out my window. It made me so happy.
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Post by junebugz on Jul 5, 2014 17:35:36 GMT
We don't go to the park where they shoot the fireworks off. We go to a parking lot where we can still see the fireworks. We don't have to deal with the crowds that way!
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Post by stampnscrap1128 on Jul 5, 2014 17:46:02 GMT
The older I get, the less I want to deal with crowds. Our local fireworks have always been difficult to park at but with construction, it's really hard now. Add increased crowds, the heat, the mosquitoes, the idiots who bring their dogs (who just hate the fireworks)... I have no patience for that anymore. It's too bad because I enjoy watching fireworks and try to photograph them.
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Post by chirpingcricket on Jul 5, 2014 17:46:37 GMT
Oh, I'll be specific. I went to the fireworks in Sweetwater, Tennessee. I turned off the main street two blocks before it was blocked off. I went one block back and found a half-empty parking lot. I parked. When the fireworks started, DS, dear puppy and I walked up one hill and had the most spectacular view of huge fireworks. One group of four people walked past in the middle and stopped to pet dear puppy, which made her day. Then we got in our car and drove home. I never saw any crowds. I didn't get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. No one threw up on me. (Thank goodness!)
Small towns *rock*.
--Cricket
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Post by peano on Jul 5, 2014 17:48:06 GMT
We don't have a 4th of July parade but we do have an annual Labor Day parade, which is so large, I can march in the parade with my Friends of Park & Bark group (dog park) and then join my family to watch the last part of the parade. It is a total family scene-- I have never seen anyone drunk or unruly.
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MsKnit
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Post by MsKnit on Jul 5, 2014 17:58:34 GMT
We live outside a small town. It puts on a decent fireworks display.
This year, we went to a friend's house to watch the fireworks. First year, as he moved there recently.
It was so nice.
No searching for a parking space. No searching for a place that didn't have people overly close, only to have others move in. No children running and screaming and being generally annoying. No cigarette smoke wafting into our area. No fighting the traffic to get out of town.
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Post by whipea on Jul 5, 2014 18:32:10 GMT
Happy to hear I am not alone. Will be searching for a nice small town within the next five years.
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melissa
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Post by melissa on Jul 5, 2014 18:33:34 GMT
I am not one for crowds anywhere. For ex, I need to go shopping for some things for a trip I am taking next week. I would love to go today, but will wait for Monday when there will be less people!
I never go to where everyone else is for the fireworks. There are plenty of places to see them from a little bit of a distance without the crowds. Dd and I watched fireworks recently from a huge field, about a 1/2 block from stadium where the "big show" took place. There were 2 or 3 other groups sitting in the field, all so far apart that we felt like there was no one there. No trouble with traffic on the way out. GREAT view!
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scrappinmama
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Post by scrappinmama on Jul 5, 2014 19:10:23 GMT
I have 2 kids with autism. We don't do fireworks. But we do plenty of other things that are now our 4th of July tradition. Fireworks and crowds just aren't something that my family enjoys.
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Post by pixelated on Jul 5, 2014 19:12:44 GMT
I went to two firework shows this year. One is large and crowded and we stayed far away to watch quietly. The other one is small and we had a great time.
I hope you can find somewhere to enjoy them without the crowds.
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perumbula
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Post by perumbula on Jul 5, 2014 19:14:14 GMT
I'm from a small town and we have our fireworks show in May as part of the town festival. There are places around town where you can go to watch that aren't crowded. Ours are set off on the HS football field, so if you go to the HS grounds you'll get lots of crowds although, it being a HS, they aren't supposed to be drinking. My family doesn't watch there though. We like to go to the hill near our home that overlooks the HS. We get a great view and the only people there are from our neighborhood. It's nice.
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Post by traceys on Jul 5, 2014 19:26:47 GMT
In my small town the best place to see fireworks is from the mall parking lot. Since it's pretty big, the crowd is not overwhelming. The older I get, the more I don't care for big events. :-)
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Post by airforcemomof1 on Jul 5, 2014 19:40:56 GMT
Oh, I'll be specific. I went to the fireworks in Sweetwater, Tennessee. I turned off the main street two blocks before it was blocked off. I went one block back and found a half-empty parking lot. I parked. When the fireworks started, DS, dear puppy and I walked up one hill and had the most spectacular view of huge fireworks. One group of four people walked past in the middle and stopped to pet dear puppy, which made her day. Then we got in our car and drove home. I never saw any crowds. I didn't get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. No one threw up on me. (Thank goodness!) Small towns *rock*. --Cricket Cricket, I've been to Sweetwater many, many times. My greatgrandparents lived there. I've also gone to the car shows they have on the Saturday before Mother's Day. Do you live there?
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 6, 2014 1:15:16 GMT
I love our small town days and fireworks and I love the surrounding area's days and fireworks too. There aren't a lot of people, they are generally polite (even the teenagers), and while there are a couple drunks, there aren't many. Next week starts our small town festivals. They have a fireworks night, a town dance, BBQ, pancake breakfasts, car shows, mud volleyball, vendors. We take the weekend and hang out will people from our town and our neighboring towns. Kids walk around and hang out and nobody worries too much. If my kid isn't behaving, another parent will call and let me know and I do the same for them. If they are close enough, I'll tell anybody's kids to knock it off and I hope that the other adults will do the same.
Traffic is bad for about 5 minutes right after the fireworks are done and then we are back to being a quiet town.
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Post by chirpingcricket on Jul 6, 2014 1:21:19 GMT
Oh, I'll be specific. I went to the fireworks in Sweetwater, Tennessee. I turned off the main street two blocks before it was blocked off. I went one block back and found a half-empty parking lot. I parked. When the fireworks started, DS, dear puppy and I walked up one hill and had the most spectacular view of huge fireworks. One group of four people walked past in the middle and stopped to pet dear puppy, which made her day. Then we got in our car and drove home. I never saw any crowds. I didn't get stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. No one threw up on me. (Thank goodness!) Small towns *rock*. --Cricket Cricket, I've been to Sweetwater many, many times. My greatgrandparents lived there. I've also gone to the car shows they have on the Saturday before Mother's Day. Do you live there? Hi, Airforcemomof1! No, I do not. I live in teeny tiny Philadelphia, TN, which is up the road from Sweetwater. I spent my formative years in Athens, which is southwest of Sweetwater. Athens has big fireworks with big traffic. Philadelphia has amateur fireworks. There's no traffic, but there's also no organization. Sweetwater is lovely. --Cricket
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