Fireflies to fireworks, July means beautiful nights

PRIME – July 2013 By Debbie Gardner debbieg@thereminder.com My family and I caught a glimpse of one of nature's little summer miracles on the way home from yet another end-of-the-school-year-event not long ago. Dusk had just fallen, and we were driving along a fairly winding road leading out of a country club, site of my son's end-of-the-season sports banquet. In the growing darkness outside the car windows, I thought I saw flickers of light. My eye caught the tiny flashes again, and I asked my husband to slow down a bit. As we crept along the quiet road, the flashes returned and multiplied. "Fireflies," I whispered to my son, who at 13 is often more interested in what's on the iPod in his hand than what's outside the windows of whatever vehicle he's being transported in at the moment. To my surprise, he paused whatever was on the device and looked up. "Cool," was his monosyllabic reply, but he kept watching the flickering light ballet. My husband, who never misses a moment to update Evan's knowledge, quietly explained how the flashes were a kind of cold light, chemically produced by the insects bodies. Evan and I, we just sat back and enjoyed the show. Seeing those fireflies took me back down memory lane, to summers long ago when my sister and I spent lazy evenings in my parents backyard. We lived in the suburbs near a brook, and though that meant mosquitos, it also meant an light show as the fireflies came out each evening. That evening, on that country club road, I was glad I could share a bit of that rare summer magic with my city-dwelling son. Of course, fireflies aren't the only evening light show we have to look forward to in July. I live with two fireworks afficionados – which means we seek out as many Independence Day displays as we can find, and attend. East Longmeadow, Mass., which always hosts a spectacular display on July 3, is always on our list. But when I took a look online this year, I discovered many of the other area cities and towns have chosen to spread the festive displays out over the course of nearly a week. For those of you who, like my husband and Evan, can never get enough kickers, here's a listing of the dates and times for some of the local displays: June 28: Holyoke, Mass., at 9:15 p.m. on the grounds of Holyoke Community College [Rain date June 29]. June 29: Chicopee, Mass., at 9:30 p.m. at Szot Park [Rain date June 30]. Easthampton, Mass., at 9:30 p.m. on the grounds of White Brook Middle School [Rain date June 30]. July 3: East Longmeadow, Mass., at 10 p.m. on the athletic fields of East Longmeadow High School. South Hadley, Mass., at 9:30 p.m. on the grounds of Michael E. Smith Middle School [Rain date is July 5] July 4: Springfield, Mass., Annual Star Spangled Springfield, at dusk in Riverfront Park. And of course, there's always the celestial light show, available to all on every evening, clouds and light pollution permitting. Evan got a telescope as a gift a little while back, and we're hoping to have the opportunity to take it out on clear evenings and really learn how to use it. (It's so nice not to have to worry about homework or evening team practices, if only for a few weeks!) I'll be thrilled if we are able to find the Big and Little Dipper through the telescope's lenses, but I know Evan's star map books will have us trying to search out some of the more unfamiliar constellations, such as Hercules and Scorpius. Even without the telescope, I'll still enjoy the opportunity to sit on our deck and gaze at the stars. If I'm lucky, I'll even have a cricket or two to serenade me (even in the city). It's finally, really summer … a season that's too brief, to precious to waste. Be certain that you enjoy the 31 days and nights that are July.