A Little piece of Paradise… College Hill, Ohio - SELFCRAFT

sending up these balloons was stopped by the fire department after one had fallen on a barn and burned itto the ground.As darkness began to descend, people from all around gathered into the Town Hall lot and filled abig wooden grand stand there, waiting for the fireworks to begin. As I mentioned, I sat in the damp, dewygrass with other children, as close to the fireworks as I was allowed. The crowd held its breath while thedim figures of the men could be seen in the darkness as they carried torches to light the first colored lightsand send the first rockets high into the air. Beautiful colored lights began to shower brilliant beauty allaround us, or exploded loudly overhead. Everyone oh-oh-ed and ah-ah-ed as each brilliance exploded inthe sky and descended almost onto our heads. We were filled with unbelievable awe as the soft pops andloud bangs and beautiful colors showered over us. We lost track of time as these continued for a longwhile until at the last, the highest of all of the shooting lights repeated again and again and ended with anear splitting bang into a flaming American flag. In exhausted silence the crowd dispersed and then weheaded home to our own yard. My relatives and many friends were waiting while Daddy passed outchunks of watermelon he had cut for everyone. Friends and I sat on the grass under dim trees and spitwatermelon seeds at one another.Aerial photograph of Town Hall taken from the water tower. The road to the right is Belmont Ave; that tothe left is Larch Ave. The Graham Hotel is the low, wooden building closest to Town Hall on BelmontAve.224