I’m on my lunch break, so I figured it would be time to post the fireworks fotos from last night at the Capitol. Some people prefer to go to the vicinity of the rodeo grounds in Mandan and have a tailgate party, while others prefer to attend the Symphony performance on the steps of the capitol building. We attend the latter. The Symphony performed some original material tonight, as well as some old favorites and Independence Day staples.

The are around the capitol was busy, but not as packed as the Capitol Mall itself. The grounds were closed to vehicle traffic and the crowd was of a good size. It didn’t compare to the 1989 celebration of the state’s centennial, but nothing really could. We were fortunate to get a spot up near the steps.

Nobody knew until the last minute whether the fireworks would be allowed to proceed, but thankfully they were given the green light. The parking lot east of the Highway Department building had a bunch of Fire Department officials parked there in their Suburbans, having a meeting of the minds to determine whether the risk outweighed the rewards. The breeze from earlier in the day subsided, they had hosed down the grass surrounding the fireworks staging area, and we got a really nice show.

I filled three 1-gigabyte cards with fireworks, and haven’t had a chance to find “the” photo of the evening. They’re all pretty good…they put on a heck of a show for us! I like the added touch that they always use the windows of the capitol building to display things such as the year on New Year’s Day, or “4th” for Independence Day.

Lunch break’s over…back to work! Hope you enjoy the photos and were able to partake in last night’s activities for yourself.