Fourth of July Bash: A Story of Ruining It for Everybody

When I was a kid, one of the family events that happened every year was a 4th of July party thrown by my great-grandmother's niece. She and her husband both worked in the factories located in Fort Smith, which meant that, for around here, they had pretty decent money. They had inherited their home, which meant money normally spent on a home was spent on improving the one they had. They added a massive great room, big enough to hold at least 50 people comfortably. After a few years, they also built a pool.

This made it the perfect place for summer activities. They had a lot of parties, but the best one of all was the gathering they had on  the 4th. People would bring food. My dad's band would play.  Kids would play with sparklers and snaps. When it got dark, there would be a great fireworks display. Everyone had a really good time.

I didn't always go. During some of those years, I was out of the area, traveling around with my mom and whatever husband she had at the time. When I was a teenager, my interests were more toward spending time with my friends on the 4th or just curling up with a good book. Even still, it was nice to know the parties continued.

Over the years, things started to get out of hand. What began as a party for extended family and friends began to grow into something mammoth. More and more people would show up, sometimes people not even really known by the host family, just friends of friends of friends who had nothing better to do. As they weren't really connected to the core group, these newcomers never brought anything to add to the event, but they would certainly take from it. They would litter the place, clog the toilets, and cause mayhem.

The whole affair was getting more expensive as well. The hosts used to provide all the fireworks, but over the years, fireworks have gotten more and more expensive. After a while, they started leaving a donation jar on one of the tables. People would toss in money to help pay for the event. This worked pretty well for a while, but then one year, the donation jar was stolen.

My grandfather had gone over to help them clean up the day after. As he and his cousin's husband walked around their yard, surveying the damage done by the party, picking up the mess, and discussing the stole donation jar, my grandfather was told that the party just wouldn't be happening anymore. What had once been the most fun part of their year had turned into a nightmare. My grandfather said his cousin's husband was really sad about this, but knew it was the best course of action.

Like I said, this wasn't an event I attended on the regular. but when I think about the fact that it doesn't happen anymore, it makes me sad. This 4th party brought a lot of joy to many people. It is the source of a lot of happy memories for these people. And it was ruined by people who were never intended to be a part of it, people who did not care about it, and people who had no respect for it. Yes, that certainly makes me sad.