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'Stars and Stripes Forever' Festival and Fireworks Rock Rosenblatt

Posted on: Tuesday, 5 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

As the first burst of silver erupted Sunday night, thousands turned their eyes to the Omaha sky.

Sitting in stadium seats, lying in the outfield on blankets, and filling front lawns and parking lots for miles around Rosenblatt Stadium, spectators focused for 23 minutes on Omaha's largest Fourth of July fireworks display.

Light showers fell early in the evening, and some predicted that a severe storm might postpone the game and annual fireworks display sponsored by The World-Herald.

But the weather threat vanished by nightfall, allowing thousands of people to enjoy cool breezes and fiery explosions.

"This is fantastic," said Kim Crummer, 51, standing in the outfield with his family just before the show. "I like to see everybody having a good time like this. I was joking to my family -- I was calling this Woodstock 2005."

By official estimate, 22,023 people were inside Rosenblatt, and many more watched from outside.

Spectators had to wait almost an hour for the sky to darken after the nine-inning game, in which the Royals ended a five-game home losing streak by beating the Albuquerque Isotopes 2-0. But the crowd was entertained by organized contests, amateur fireworks shot off near the stadium and beach balls that bounced through the crowd.

When the clock on the scoreboard hit 9:27, the show began.

It all started with a silver burst that quietly fell to the ground to a musical fanfare. Then came the loud patriotic beat of "God Bless the USA" as red, white and blue explosions of light filled the darkened sky.

The song included the oh-so-anticipated "O!" Few people reacted to Omaha's quick-hitting slogan, but they clapped as the letters U- S-A exploded above.

The patriotic themes never left the show, although the music and fireworks covered more ground.

John Fogerty's "Centerfield" brought on an explosion of palm tree- like images, comets and a strobe effect.

"My Maria," the Brooks and Dunn remake, came with a bombardment of noise and color, including sparkling waterfalls of gold sparks.

Van Morrison belted out "Moondance" as white and red flowers and silver streamers crisscrossed the sky.

And then there was U2's "Beautiful Day," complemented by delicate pastels that painted the black nighttime canvas.

"I like the ones that were straight and then they went curly," said Rachel Patterson, 10. Her mother, Michele Patterson, said she has been coming to the show for 20 of the 21 years that the World- Herald has sponsored it.

The patriotic tunes got the most applause, especially when "Stars and Stripes Forever" began. The finale started with thousands of titanium flash salutes -- gold and white explosions that looked like falling diamonds. Soon there were more and more layers of color, until smoke and light filled the air and the stadium shook.

Even as the music swelled, it could barely be heard over the rally of booms and cracks.

"I thought the finale was very good," said Kent Johnson, sitting in a wheelchair in the stands.

The fireworks could be seen miles from the stadium.

"The thing about the fireworks is people can park anywhere and still see them," said Wendy Holmes, 39, who put out blankets on the lawn of the nearby Rosewater Apartments, where she lives.

Some spectators came to the area just in time for the fireworks, but Jim Nunez and his family staked out a tent in the parking lot well before noon. In addition to beating some traffic, the family was able to enjoy some time together.

"This is family time, and that's important," he said. "That's the way this atmosphere is."

A family festival sponsored by UMB Bank also provided entertainment for several hours before the baseball game with games, clowns, free food samples and live music. Royals players were on hand to sign autographs and attracted a crowd of girls wearing small flags in their ponytails and boys carrying baseballs.

Six-year-old Emily Crook, who was decked out in patriotic beads, waited in line for a clown wearing a bright blue wig to twist together a balloon sculpture for her. Crook's parents, Tammy and Rob of Bellevue, said they were able to beat some traffic by arriving early in the afternoon.

But bumper-to-bumper traffic after the game was harder to avoid. Some opted for the fleet of 14 shuttle buses that made runs between the stadium and the Omaha Civic Auditorium and the Westroads Mall.

Police Sgt. Joseph Collins said the outbound traffic moved smoother than usual this year.

"We still had the typical problems with people stopping on the Interstate," he said, "but with assistance from the Nebraska State Patrol things ran relatively smoothly."

Source: Omaha World - Herald

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