Richmond area celebrates freedom

Over the years, Susan Brown spent many Independence Days with family and friends, tailgating in a parking lot behind the Department of Motor Vehicles on West Broad Street in Richmond.

It was the perfect place to watch the fireworks show taking place at The Diamond.

But with no baseball and no show, the gang needed to find a new place to watch the night sky yesterday.

They turned to Dogwood Dell.

"We sent someone here at 4 p.m. to scope it out." Brown said.

The scout carried a key piece of gear: a 16-by-20foot blue tarp to mark off space for the group.

They were 16 people strong from five families, ages 12 to 58, and nearly everyone had a job yesterday. Some brought sandwiches or snacks; others had games. Brown's daughter even baked a cake, and rescued it after another stepped on the delicacy.

The group -- and their chairs, blankets and coolers -- occupied a grassy spot in front of the amphitheater, where an a cappella group serenaded the crowd during the day.

"We're just going to listen to the music, play some games and socialize," Brown said.

As the United States celebrated its 233rd birthday yesterday, some area residents commemorated the occasion with standbys like parades, backyard barbecues and baseball games, while others jumped out of airplanes, paid well above market value for baked goods and even got married.

"The Fourth of July means independence, and that means I can do whatever it is I like," said Wayne Kelley, an Elvis Presley impersonator from Chesterfield County.

Kelley was one of hundreds who marched in several local parades. They ranged from large events with hundreds of participants to simple neighborhood gatherings of kids simultaneously meandering in the same direction while decked out in red, white and blue.

In parks, people spread out blankets and spent the day eating, talking and playing as they waited for night to fall and fireworks to light up the sky. Neighborhood pools were jammed as well, as residents tried to cool off on a hot summer day.

For many, the day was a chance to sit back and enjoy the simple things in life, something that's needed in these tough times, several said.

"It's just good to spend time with the family, to be with the grandkids and to just enjoy myself," Sandy Jones said.

Curtis Robins had just gotten out of his car to start his very long day when the argument began.

"We've been doing this for nine years. You know where to set up," he said after excusing himself to answer his cell phone. "All the equipment is in your car."

Robins, a trained clown in full regalia, was arguing with his wife and partner, Karan, also a clown.

The two were setting up early for their annual appearance in the Brandermill Fourth of July parade in Chesterfield.

Robins said the day is one of the busiest of the year for them.

He got to Swift Creek Middle School a couple of minutes before 8 a.m., and the day would end after midnight in Powhatan County.

In between, he would make several hundred balloon animals, and paint about as many faces, all while keeping people laughing.

"It's like this every year," he said. "But it's worth it."

Sarah Holloway was going through the final preparations.

In about a half-hour she would lead a group of 24 cheerleaders down Millridge Parkway.

Holloway is president of the Swift Creek Athletic Association and coaches the cheerleaders, who range from 5 to 11. The group had two practices totaling four hours leading up to yesterday's Brandermill parade.

"They'll be fine," Holloway said. "And if they get tired, they can ride in the ice-cream truck" trailing them.

At nearly five minutes after 10 a.m., Deb Braun's finely tuned operation was behind schedule. And the police were at fault.

Braun was overseeing the Brandermill parade for the 28th year. She spends about four months putting it all together, but it all comes down to this -- and it wasn't working.

The Chesterfield Sheriff's Department Honor Guard showed up a few minutes late and was getting ready. Braun, whistle at the ready, needed them to lead off the parade.

The parade kicked off about 10 minutes late to a cheering crowd lined up along Millridge.

Braun could relax.

"Making all these people happy for a day, makes my whole year," she said.

For Doug Bowmer, freedom meant falling through the air.

The skydiver, dressed in an Uncle Sam outfit, parachuted into a grassy field before hundreds of families at the Fourth of July celebration at the Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park in Glen Allen.

He passed out flags and patriotic temporary tattoos to those who watched his jump.

Also at the park were Yong Wang and Jenny Chen, who celebrated the holiday with their family.

Wang came from China 16 years ago. He and his families' citizenship is important, as is celebrating it, he said.

"We love this land," Wang said. "We love this country. Freedom and people respecting each other, that's very important to us."

Parades come in all sizes.

While Brandermill's features dancers, politicians and Uncle Sam, in the Westover Hills neighborhood of Richmond, children march a block and half.

Laura and Scott Dysart began organizing the parade about eight years ago with a small group of parents. Yesterday's parade had about 100 kids participating.

"We love seeing the kids with their bikes and strollers decorated. It's a lot of fun," Laura said.

After the parade, their backyard becomes the nexus of the neighborhood with a snow-cone machine and popcorn maker.

"It's a lot of fun," they said as the festivities began to wrap up at 11 a.m. Most of the crowd had dispersed, and sons Brandon, 10, and Jake, 7, helped clean up.

About 12:30 in the afternoon, Carolyn Peart was ecstatic.

"Did they tell you this is the most entries we've ever had?" she asked, referring to the number of pies entered into this year's apple pie contest -- 18 adult-baked pies and three child-baked pies.

Peart organizes Ashland's Fourth of July festivities. The day is sponsored by the Hanover Arts and Activities Center on South Center Street.

By early afternoon, close to 1,000 people had grabbed a spot along the vast front yard of the center.

Most came early for the parade, which had 22 brigades, including master-gardener and lawn-chair brigades.

Both the crowd and the number of participants were all-time highs, Pert said.

Ross Booth raised his hand in the back, but the auctioneer didn't see him.

It happened once, then twice. Finally, when the bidding reached $150, his mother raised her voice just loud enough to be heard.

The bidding continued, and Ross Booth won with a bid of $176. For an apple pie.

But it's not just any pie: It won the apple-pie contest in Ashland.

"I have the inside scoop that this is the best one," he said with a laugh after the auction. His mother, Phyllis, is one of the judges.

"It's just right," she said.

The money will go to the Hanover Arts and Activities Center association, of which both are board members.

So, how long does a $176 pie last?

"It'll be gone by tonight," Ross Booth said, laughing.

Of course, the Fourth of July also is about freedom and the birth of a nation.

Those feelings were evident at historic St. John's Church in Richmond, where Patrick Henry gave his fiery speech in which he chose liberty over death.

After a re-enactment of the famous 1775 debate, a crowd gathered to take pictures and talk to the actors who portrayed Henry, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and others.

About 300 people were milling about.

"This is something that makes you think about what got us to where are," said Thomas Carpenter of Highland Springs, who saw the re-enactment for the first time yesterday.

Not all Richmond-area residents marked the nation's birthday locally.

Linda and Jason Cook celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary by taking in a Cubs game in Chicago.

The couple said they try to do something special each year to commemorate the Fourth of July and their anniversary. They picked Chicago because Jason is a lifelong Cubs fan.

Richard Bostwick spent his holiday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., watching his daughter get married.

"It was magical," he said.

Bostwick's daughter is a first lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps. Her bridegroom, Keith Guglielmi, is a captain in the Army. Both are stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Guglielmi, a Ranger who served a tour in Iraq, is headed to Afghanistan next year.

There were some secret spots where you could find the fireworks.

In some cases, though, you had to be mobile.

More than 100 people gathered at an overlook in Oregon Hill to watch the Dogwood Dell fireworks from afar.

As the first lights burst into the sky, families, couples and kids picked up their belongings and scurried down the hill for a better look.

Kiandra Burch, 6, of South Richmond jumped up and down, clapping her hands and pointing out each burst of color to her father, William.

Her favorites were purple, but the pink ones matched her dress. She pointed that out several times.

Brother Keshawn, 5, liked the blue bursts. Dad just liked being together with the family.

"We wanted to just come to a private place where it would just be us and enjoy the fireworks," he said. "I'm ecstatic right now."

Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or

Contact Emily Dooley at (804) 649-6016 or .