No Fireworks

So I know that the Fourth of July has a deeper meaning behind it than just hotdogs and fireworks, but when you think about July 4th, usually that is the first thing you think about. I had heard in late June that some of the San Diego area fireworks were being cancelled (I guess it would cost about $75,000 for the show and with all of our economic problems, school layoffs, etc some areas decided to pass and use the funds elsewhere). I was up in Oceanside for the fourth. Ryan, Kevin, Brandon and I decided we wanted to go watch the fireworks (everyone else were party poopers). We got out our bikes and skateboards and rode over to the Pier. Oceanside was setting off their fireworks from the end of the pier. We went down to the beach and the fog/ mist was sooooooooooo bad that we couldn't see ANYTHING... You could hear the booms and bangs, but the marine layer was so thick that you couldn't even see a burst of light... What a bummer.

Here is part of an article I found about the 'fireworks'.

Thunder, no lightning

The mood in Oceanside was sunny for O'Festers who lounged on picnic blankets and shoppers who traipsed among numerous stands at the festival as they waited for the fireworks display over the ocean.

Longtime resident Esther Newman said she has celebrated the Fourth of July in Oceanside for the last 55 years.

"I haven't missed one," said Newman, who wore a jacket resembling an American flag. "It's Oceanside; we're paradise here."

She said the celebration symbolizes what she loves most about the city. "Everyone smiles, and they are just so happy here," she said.

The event included entertainment for all ages, including children's activities and musical performances at the Oceanside Amphitheater.

For Maryann Haro, who had traveled 50 miles from Perris, the rock music made the day. Haro said her family arrived at the crack of dawn to grab a spot by a fire pit that her daughter, Angelisa, scouted the day before.

She said O'Fest has become a beloved family tradition, bleary-eyed arrivals and all.

Oceanside resident Lorraine Sherwood called the crowds unappealing. She said her family came to the event for the shopping but planned to watch the fireworks from home.

She probably didn't see much. Councilman Rocky Chavez, who watched the display from a walkway near the pier, said late Friday evening that he had been able to see only the largest and the brightest of the bursts.

"It wasn't spectacular," Chavez said. "I heard 20 minutes of fireworks, but you couldn't see anything."