Freedom season

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  Fireworks lit up the Stars and Stripes displayed by the ladder truck of the Clifton Volunteer Fire Department during the Fireworks on the Bosque event in Clifton City Park on Saturday night, June 29, 2024. Nathan Diebenow | Bosque County Record-Tribune

  Fireworks lit up the Stars and Stripes displayed by the ladder truck of the Clifton Volunteer Fire Department during the Fireworks on the Bosque event in Clifton City Park on Saturday night, June 29, 2024. Nathan Diebenow | Bosque County Record-Tribune
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  Families, friends, and neighbors from all walks of life hung out together, listing to live music, eating dinner from food trucks, and playing games at Clifton City Park during the Fireworks on the Bosque event on Saturday, June 29, 2024. Nathan Diebenow | Bosque County Record-Tribune

  Families, friends, and neighbors from all walks of life hung out together, listing to live music, eating dinner from food trucks, and playing games at Clifton City Park during the Fireworks on the Bosque event on Saturday, June 29, 2024. Nathan Diebenow | Bosque County Record-Tribune

The Clifton community kicked off freedom season in Bosque County by coming together to celebrate their many freedoms at Clifton City Park on Saturday, June 29.

The outdoor event featured live music by out-of-town bands, several area food trucks, and public displays of patriotism.

The City of Clifton's public works department monitored and prepared the park for the event weeks in advance of the 4th of July celebration after several rainstorms swept the area.

Clifton City Secretary Angela Smith noted that the city's crew is still in the process of cleaning the interior of the Armory and retrieving a roll-off dumpster moved downstream by flood waters in April 2024.

City workers recently mowed the grass in the fields where families listened to the music, relaxed in the shade of pecan trees, and played catch with their friends and neighbors.

Eight food trucks with several different types of cuisine lined the outside of the Armory; on the other side of the lot, more local nonprofits sold tasty treats and handed out materials promoting their services.

The Clifton Volunteer Fire Department assisted with the cooldown tents with water and fans as the late afternoon sun beat down on the park.

“What a great turnout,” the CVFD said on social media. “CVFD was honored to participate in the City of Clifton’s ‘Fireworks on the Bosque’ event.”

The spokesperson continued, “Great entertainment and great fireworks. We cannot wait until next year!”

Neighboring volunteer fire departments from West Shore and Cranfills Gap also joined the festivities.

In the late afternoon, live music was performed by Tumble Dry Low – a 1980s-90s country-variety cover band based out of Rockport – and the outlaw country outfit Moore Boys & Co. from Temple.

The climate was still hot and humid as more families trickled into the park an hour before dusk when the fireworks show would begin.

Small groups of families and friends also reportedly set up to view the local fireworks display at neighboring parking lots and residences within the city limits.

The crowd inside the park was treated to another fantastic fireworks show lasting almost 30 minutes.

The show was complete with patriotic music on loudspeakers from a diverse array of artists and styles – Ray Charles, Miley Cyrus, Lee Greenwood, John Mellencamp – as well as a medley of Elvis Presley's tunes.

Wearing glow-in-thedark necklaces, locals oo'ed and ahh'ed at the multi-colored bursts of light sparkling in the dark night sky.

The CVFD’s American flag hung from its ladder truck made for an aweinspiring visual with the fireworks in the background.

“The fireworks were awesome! Love that big ol’ flag!” Mary Northup Soukup said on social media.

The Clifton Police Department estimated that 1,000-plus people showed up for the evening event in Clifton based on footage collected by its aerial drone.

Several other area celebrations are scheduled for this week, including: On Thursday, July 4, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Cranfills Gap Chamber of Commerce will host its annual family fun day in historic downtown Cranfills Gap. The event will include water slides, hot dogs, games, watermelon, and pieeating contests. At 6 p.m. a fundraiser dinner will be served along with a silent auction and stretch raffle at the community center.

Starting around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, Valley Mills will hold its annual fireworks show at the Valley Mills Youth Baseball Fields sponsored by the Greater Valley Mills Chamber of Commerce and Valley Mills Lions Club.

Supported by the West Shore Volunteer Fire Department, the West Shore Civic Association will hold its annual 4th of July parade on Saturday, July 6, starting at 5:30 p.m.

The week prior, the Meridian Chamber of Commerce held a patriotic decorating contest encouraging local merchants to spruce up their facades. Out of the nine entries, the winner was Small Town Perk; an honorable mention went to the Meridian Economic Development Corporation.

Record-breaking travel

AAA released a report projecting that 70.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day holiday travel period.

The period covers the entire July 4th week, plus the Saturday before and the Sunday after the holiday.

For this time period, the projected number of travelers is expected to increase by a five-percent compared to 2023 and an eight-percent (or 5.7 million people) increase over 2019.

“With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day,” Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, said in a press release.

AAA reported that gas prices are lower than last year when the national average was $3.53.

“Pump prices will likely continue going down leading up to Independence Day,” AAA said. “At that point, they will likely level off and remain relatively stable until after Labor Day, similar to last year.”

AAA noted an important caveat – hurricane season is underway now – which could affect gas prices should a storm negatively impact Gulf Coast oil production and refining centers.