A Sparkling 4th
As the fireworks lit up the night sky, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I heard the Pops concert band rendition of “Stars and Stripes” drowned out a blood-curdling scream.

A woman in a red sundress stood at the edge of the crowd, her hands clutched to her chest. The joyful melody and brilliant bursts of color drew attention away from her, but I was frozen in place, trying to comprehend the scene unfolding before me at Riverdale Park’s annual Fourth of July celebration.

The scream...