Light up the Night

We may have been a day late but we were far from being a ‘dollar short’ … as last night (July 5th) all of Jackson celebrated Independence Day with our amazing annual fireworks display. For a small New England village (with just over 700 residents), what we lack in size we usually make up for in pizzazz, and this year was no exception! In fact, the general consensus of all our guests this year was that this wonderful event was by far the best fireworks display of all time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.

As dusk turned to darkness, there was (as always), a lot of anticipation. The show got off to a late start, but that was soon forgotten once the half-hour evening pyrotechnics lit up the night and the town. Jackson’s fireworks always draw thousands as the streets are lined with cars and spectators. (It’s the ONLY time you’ll ever see bumper-to-bumper traffic here, and that is almost as much of a novelty in this tiny mountain village as the fireworks!) Here at the Lodge I think we have the best view of all, as the fireworks are launched directly across the street at the Wentworth Golf Course. As usual, we had a full house, and those guests on the front side of our building enjoyed the show from their balconies. The rest of us took a comfortable seat around the pool or on the lawn or tennis court, to “ooooh” and “ahhhh” until the Grand Finale took our collective breaths away!

Fireworks displays are expensive … especially ones on the magnitude of our show here in Jackson, NH. and they are underwritten by private donations from locals and businesses, such as our Lodge. The major sponsor this year (as in the past) is Lisa Gardner, the New York Times best-selling author of fast-paced thriller novels, and a local Jackson resident (and neighbor). I first met Lisa years ago. Our daughter used to do some babysitter for her, and also Lisa and I both did our first “Seek the Peak” fundraiser together for the Mount Washington Observatory. That year we had been asked to join a Jackson women’s team that was climbing Mount Washington to help raise money. Lisa and I were the youngest and least experienced (it was our first time and we were greenhorns). The grand women who had invited us were seasoned hikers, in great shape, who kindly waited for us to catch up along the way! It gave us time to get to know one another. She is an interesting, fun, (funny!) and generous woman. I took a writers workshop with her one year, and she is very active with the kids at the local grammar school as she works with them to encourage their writing. Her generous contributions for the Jackson fireworks is much appreciated by all. Thank you, Lisa!