Mayhem replaces simple celebration

I remember when I was young growing up in Everett, we would start our Fourth of July with some sparklers and then we would all pile in the car and go to Memorial Stadium for a really nice fireworks display. Simple but very nice.

Now I’m afraid to leave my house for fear of it catching on fire. The pops and booms started this year at 9 a.m. and didn’t stop until after midnight. My pets would not go outside all day; the neighborhood smelled like gun powder; and there is a mess in my yard when I didn’t even participate.

Now, I’m just as patriotic as my neighbors, but this type of “freedom” is not freedom for me. I can’t wait until Snohomish County makes fireworks illegal, then I can have the freedom to sit out on my deck and enjoy the holiday too!

Pam S. Hestikind

Granite Falls