I took this video at the city park in Mustang, Oklahoma last night.  This is not a professional fireworks show but rather just a park where people go to set off their own fireworks.  Most of the Oklahoma City metro area has laws against setting off fireworks.  This is unfortunate because our kids do not get to experience the fun that we had as kids on the fourth of July.  Our kids are left with driving 20 miles to the other side of the metro and fighting crowds of thousands of people.  This environment is sort of like going to the state fair with fireworks.  Although there are many police and fire personnel on duty around Mustang, it is a wild and anarchy environment.  Don’t get me wrong… I am not trying to say it is bad because it is not.  We always have fun when going to this park because this wild chaotic fireworks show goes on all day and all night.

This park looked like a land fill with all the debris laying out in the street and grass.  I am sure they have crews that pick it up afterwards.  I know Mustang must make hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax money every year off the sale of fireworks.  I even stopped a a pizza restaurant and the entire parking lot was filled with people setting off fireworks.  This would be a dream for most kids.  I often tell people what it is like but they act like they do not believe me.  You can watch fireworks for hours and not spend a penny.  If you want to set off your own, then there are probably 30 or 40 fireworks stands all around Mustang.  This video does not give true justice to how wild it really is.  The whole city is a cloud of smoke and you can see it coming down Mustang road from I-40.

The down side to this is that it is a bit dangerous.  I was hit twice last night and several times found debris hitting me in the face.  The trick to avoiding this is to stand up wind from the fireworks.  A couple years ago we had a close call.  One of the women that was in our group lit one of the mortar shells and the wind blew over the tube that it was placed.  It pointed right at us and fired under my wife’s chair and then under my car and out the other side before exploding.  As dangerous as it was, it was funny to see the silhouette of bodies diving to get out of the way.  This sort of thing is common place so you need to make sure you roll the windows up on your car.  Three  years ago I saw a Camaro on fire in this park.  We hear ambulance and fire sirens also while out in the park.  I know it sounds crazy to put yourself in this type of environment but you just have to experience it.  Pure anarchy and pure excitement.  This year was not quite as rowdy as previous years simply because of the rain but it was still pretty fun.

All I can say is if you crave excitement, Mustang is the place to go.  I have never seen a professional fireworks show that is this much fun.  The fact that it is going on for hours all around you is just too much fun.  You can turn a 360 degree circle and you will be surrounded by large and small fireworks.  No one will ever try it when I tell them because I don’t think they believe just how crazy it really is.  After going out here six years ago, I have never gone to see another professional show again.  There is usually at least one television station out there just because how crazy it is.  Just prior to leaving to go the the park, I saw some neighbors setting off some shells and someone called the police.  In our neighborhood they are illegal though most people ignore the law.

My dad has a video made in 1978 in this neighborhood that shows what it was like before they were illegal.  People were setting off fireworks all over the neighborhood.  Now it is more sporadic.  I still see them around the neighborhood but not was widespread as before.  There are other suburbs around that also allow fireworks but none of them compare to Mustang.  Next year just go West on I-40 to Mustang Road and then go South until you reach SW 59th Street.  At this point you will not only see the cloud of smoke, you will see the shells flying over the trees.  Just stop at one of the local businesses and sit outside your car.  You will be in awe of the fire power all around you.  I strongly recommend it.

JohnathonandLane2005.jpg, originally uploaded by Richard Renaldi.

 After I began to think about it, I had to agree with at least part of his comments because we usually have some brown winters that are not very attractive.  We are just warm enough that we usually do not have a lot of snow but cold enough that most of the vegetation dies resulting is a very unattractive brown appearance.  This really is a nice place to live but the gloominess of winter is not the most attractive thing to behold.  Spring makes this a very pretty place around here as things green up and flowers bloom

We have some of the most beautiful sunsets after a storm that you will ever see.  The skies can be so many different colors, just about ever color in the rainbow.  The original photo above is of Wynnewood and though it does not look very attractive, it is a very nice place in the spring, summer and fall.  Springtime is my favorite time of year as the trees begin to turn green, the flowers bloom and the place seems to come to life.

I have lived in Oklahoma in all but ten years of my life and I know the good and the bad of living here.  One thing that has always brought me home is the prevailing attitude of treating one’s neighbor as themselves as spoken of in the Bible.  One thing that I have learned over the years is that no matter how attractive someone is, their attitude can make them look very ugly.  Many times I have seen someone that appeared very attractive and then they opened their mouth and the profanity and attitude changed my entire perception of them.  I have lived in many states, cities, and countries and many of those places had a very attractive appearance.  Most of them were even very friendly though there was one thing that was missing from all of those places that is common place here.  I noticed as I traveled in the Air Force that many people would never look at you in the eye in public places.  When I would go to the grocery store to buy something many of them were not likely to start up a conversation with you as they would here in Oklahoma. 

I know it is not accurate to paint with such a broad brush because there are good and bad in every place.  I can say though with my own experiences that here in Oklahoma I have noticed that people are more likely to be friendly here than in those other places.  I purposely did not mention the names of those places that I have been because the point of this message is not to put people down but to illustrate my experiences with the friendliness of people here.  There have been exceptions to this rul as you would imagine but for the most part I have had good experiences.

With the arrival of spring we not only have the friendly people but we also have the colorful views that we so long for during the dull dreary winters.  Our weather can climb warm as high as 80 degrees in January but it can also plunge below zero.  One day you can be playing sports in shorts and the next day you can be wearing a heavy coat with temperatures in the 20′s with a powerful north wind.  By the time March arrives it can become very nice again.  This is another thing that I do love about being here is the variety of weather.  I do remember living in Arizona when the sun shines “ALL THE TIME”.  There would be days that I would pay money just to see some rain or have some cool clouds pass over.  I did love Arizona but when it is sunny for three straight months with no rain it gets tiresome to me.  When I was there I found many people that lived there loved this very part of their weather.  It was interesting to see how people can like such a vastly different climate.  I guess it is nice to know there are different types of people that like different types of things.

I cannot imagine life without thunderstorms.   Well yes I can… I lived in Arizona for a long time and their imaginary thunderstorms were nothing like ours.  Their so called Monsoon season was like our driest time of the year.  Before I moved to Arizona I had never seen lightning without rain but they are proof that it can be done.  Other than the lack of rain and unbearable heat, I really loved it there.  It was a fun place to be for the most part.  Our spring time is our storm season and I just love it when we get some severe thunderstorms.  I do not like to see anyone get hurt or get their property damaged but it is very entertaining to watch the power of a thunderstorm.

Probably the one thing that I do like about living here the most is the fact that it is one of the last places where right is still seen as right and wrong is still seen as wrong.  I read the national media on the left and right coasts and their portrayal of the center of the country as “flyover country”, or backward thinking.  They never stop for a moment to see that their group think mentality is the one that is backward.  Unfortunately their influence is moving in and before long there will be no difference.  The Bible predicted these days would arrive and so it should be no surprise to anyone.  I will enjoy it while it lasts.  I will not spend too much time on the specifics of what I am talking about but I am sure you can imagine.   The passing of December moves us deeper into the colorless winter but soon it will bring us back into the warm springtime.  The best time of year is only two months away.  I think we can wait that long for some warmer, colorful days.

The other day I was driving around and stumbled on this old abandoned building at 904 N.E. 4th Street.  I am 42 years old and have lived here in Oklahoma City all but ten years of my life and have never seen this before.  This is in a run down area of town that not many people would feel comfortable walking around at night.  Apparently this old building must have been used as a regular movie theater at some point in history.  This old sign brought back some nostalgic feelings in me and so I was compelled to pull over and take a picture.  If anyone knows any information about the history of this place, please post this information so the rest of us can share.  I did find this site that gives limited information about this theater that may help jog your memory.