In this issue is a nice wordy article about how great the Fireworks on the River are, and indeed they are. There’s also a top ten list for enjoying the show which you also should read, as it’s handy info to have if you head for the river’s edge on July 3.

But I thought I’d add a little to it: My own insight into enjoying the July 3 experience. It’s all about you interacting with those people who are there making the show work. For a decade now, I’ve been volunteering at the fireworks as a Jaycee. So, like my Jaycee brethren and, uh, sisterthren, I have a unique take on the event. Members of the Jaycees, staff of Radio Dubuque, police and fire personnel show up hours before the event, actually the day before, to begin the process of organizing the infrastructure necessary to make it all run smoothly. By the time you show up, they’ve already devoted hours of time, putting out trash cans, putting up temporary fencing and barricades and directing traffic. It’s often very hot, sometimes it’s raining and in the end it’s hours of volunteer work on a day when the rest of town is on vacation, enjoying a cold beer and a picnic at the fireworks.

My point is, when you show up, don’t be an ass. The system works great. When you wait in traffic to get to a parking lot, it is the shortest wait there can possibly be, given the logistics of the venue. When someone points to a parking space for you to fill, fill it. Don’t point to a space in a different row that hasn’t started filling yet and ask if you can go there. And don’t attempt a valiant three-point “I think I’ll back into my space” maneuver. Those are the guys who make the line of traffic longer. Just park ... with a smile.

My other suggestion is that you choose to park in a Jaycee-operated lot instead of one where someone is trying to make a buck off the event with no plans to contribute to funding this very expensive extravaganza. Along those lines, if you own a business in the area and you throw a huge party on the 3rd, or if the event puts you in a position to make a lot of money that day, you really need to consider throwing a few bucks back. The fireworks could easily take place at the Port of Dubuque, and there are certainly fans of that idea. It is the support both vocally and financially of the businesses and private residents in the area that will strengthen the event in the future.

Personally, I’ve been the guy who parks the V.I.P. lot each year. These are the really good parking spots that are given to contributors, advertisers, V.I.P.s and supporters of the event. If that’s you, I assure you that I appreciate all you do for the show. But the same rules apply: Don’t announce that you are inventing your own parking space. One thing I really love is when I tell you you can’t invent your own space and you announce that you know Tom Parsley from Radio Dubuque, as if that give you magical powers. Congratulations, so do I. Now shut up and park where I said. I think Tom will back me up on that one. Remember, it’s hot and I’m probably ornery by now.

Conversely, I have to point out all the great people who park in my lot. You offer me beverages and food and more. You’re there to have fun and you make if fun for me too. When we get the troublemakers trying to park, I’m going to look to you to hold them down while I kick the crap out of them. Thank you in advance.

Thanks, I’ve been wanting to rant on that for years. Enjoy the show!