A bright, booming Island tradition: Crowds gathered at Crescent beach for annual fireworks show
Fireworks celebrating Independence Day, one of Shelter Island’s greatest traditions, returned to Crescent Beach on Saturday, July 8, boasting one of the best displays to date.
On a warm and breezy evening, the beach buzzed with excitement. As the sun gradually dipped below the horizon, the pre-firework light show embodied an airborne energy that captured everyone’s attention.
Children’s glow sticks danced across a flashing field of footprint-laden sand. Boats and buildings across the bay shone white and blue lights, forming bright paths over the water, and the beach was alive with voices and laughter.
Tom and Janice Meehan have been coming to the show for as long as they can remember, and this year marked the second time that their children were present. “It’s a rapidly growing tradition,” Mr. Meehan said, adding with a laugh that their Fourth of July guest list increases every year. “It’s fun to see how many kids we can carry to the beach.”
A little way down the sand sat Gwen Waddington and Natasha Sigmund, who were enjoying yet another year of Shelter Island’s mid-summer celebration. When asked why she loves this event, Ms. Waddington, who has enjoyed the tradition for most of her life, said, “All segments of Shelter Island are able to interact and share an amazing community together.”
For Ms. Sigmund, who was preparing to witness her fourth display, the fireworks represent family. “And I get to spend time with my sister,” she said, a bright smile crossing her face.
Farther down the beach, a new form of light battled against rapidly approaching darkness in the form of glowing swords, wielded by Jimbo and Mary Theinert’s children. Katie, 5, Archie, 3, and Marshall, 7, joyfully charged around the beach, their arcing swords forming flashes of rainbows in the evening darkness.
The Theinert family has been coming to the Shelter Island fireworks for 30 years, and considers the event a social tradition. According to Mr. Thienert, the fireworks bring all the best parts of Shelter Island together. “I love the impromptu social interactions,” he said. Sometimes, he added, it can take almost an hour to get across the beach because of the number of people stopping for conversations. “And you might not see that person again until the fireworks next year,” he said.
While the fireworks are a standard part of the Theinert family’s Fourth of July celebration, this year was extra special. It marked Katie’s second time seeing the display, and was Archie’s first. The children’s sword-swinging enthusiasm added to the joyful atmosphere of Crescent Beach.
Just before the start of the show, two test rockets launched into the sky, met with a series of “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd. At 9:15, knowing that the show would soon start, voices died down to the point where crickets could be heard.
The fireworks opened in spectacular fashion with red explosions against hovering clouds, the sound bouncing off the water. Next were oranges and greens, exploding together, seeming to shoot towards onlookers before rapidly fading.
“This is awesome,” said a nearby voice as an extra large explosion eclipsed lower sparkles that nearly touched the bay.
All eyes were locked on the same spectacle as a constant exhibit of reds, greens, oranges, and yellows continued to amaze the crowd. These were mixed with the occasional “S” and “I” that drew the attention of many, with pointing fingers and shouts of, “Look, it’s Shelter Island!”
Next came the longer-lasting fireworks, which screeched their way above the horizon, their patterns lingering in the sky, before eventually fizzling away.
Even at the end of such an incredible show, the grand finale did not disappoint. Fireworks of all types were launched together, sending fast-paced booms across the beach.
As the final sparks grew faint, a wave of applause erupted from the shore, accompanied by horns from the boats in the bay. As Joe Rowdis, a first-time visitor, remarked, “It was a true Shelter Island experience.”
