For a while on Saturday, it looked as though Mother Nature would have a fireworks show of her own. Shortly before 5 p.m., thunder roared and rain fell on Clarkesville just as the city’s annual Red, White, and Tunes celebration was getting underway at Pitts Park.
Event organizers held their breath and kept the faith. They assured the public they had their eye on the weather and cautioned that, at worst, there would be a delay.
They were right.
The weather soon cleared, and the highly anticipated annual event took off under pastel summer skies. The planned bounce houses didn’t materialize (possibly due to the weather), but there was face painting, along with food trucks, and a playground full of children to keep the young ones entertained. Some even brought bubbles to chase.
Packed the park
This year’s Red, White, and Tunes was one of the largest in recent memory. Hundreds of people packed into the park for the free community event. As the evening wore on, the delighted squeals from the playground were met by soulful music on stage. The Dylan Armour Band headlined the event for the second consecutive year.
A spectacular fireworks display capped off the evening’s festivities.
“Great band! Wonderful vendors and great fireworks. Thanks to the sponsors, the police, and the fire department,” said Jamey Finocchio.
Not everyone who was there saw the fireworks. Susan Khadayat captured a photo of a baby wearing headphones snoozing away on a picnic blanket on the open lawn of Pitts Park.
“Had too much fun before the fireworks and couldn’t even make it through them,” the social media caption read.
Heidi Dawn of Cornelia captured a photo of her kids “Enjoying Kona [Ice] listening to the awesome band.”
While some voiced displeasure over the scaled-back kids’ activities, overall, it was a successful evening pulled off with planning, preparation, and a few whispered prayers that the rain would hold off long enough for one more summer blast.
