A Cool Thing About Elevation

With Lower City Park flooded this year we couldn’t get our usual shelter to cook out then watch fireworks. Iowa City decided to move the fireworks to Hubbard Park and to set them off after the last Jazzfest concert, with a scheduled start about 10:30. That would be too late for us. Lisa heard from one of the neighbors that you could see the Coralville fireworks from Finkbine golf course, near our house.

We packed up popcorn and drinks and rode the two tandem bikes to the driving range a little after 9:00 last night. No one else was there and we settled in on the bench above the range. Thirty seconds after we sat down the golf course sprinklers went on and doused us. We moved.

After half an hour of younger daughter asking if it was dark enough yet, we finally saw a tiny glow barely above the tree line off to the north. “IS that IT?” screamed the six year old.

“No, I think that’s the North Liberty fireworks.” I said. We watched them for a few minutes Then we saw tiny flares, barely above the tree line to the west.

“IS that IT?” screamed the six year old.

“No, I think that’s the Tiffin fireworks.” I said. We watched between the two for a few minutes. Then another set of fireworks started, barely above the tree line to the north, but east of North Liberty’s.

“Is THAT it?” screamed the six year old.

“No, I think that’s the Lake Macbride fireworks.” I said. We watched between the three places for a few minutes.

Suddenly a big firework explodeed MUCH higher in the sky. “Those are Coralville’s!” I said. We oohed and ahhed appropriately. Older daughter was very disappointed that being so far away we could barely hear the explosions.

After 20 minutes of watching there was suddenly a VERY LOUD explosion BEHIND us (to the east). We looked back and realized we could see the Iowa City fireworks too. Our heads were on swivels going between Coralville and Iowa City.

I told the girls, that’s the cool thing about being at the highest point in Johnson County, we could see 5 community’s fireworks all from the same place. Younger daughter commented on the way home that, “I will never ever forget this night!”