It was WET! No doubt about it!

Saturday, July 4 was a wet evening in Charleston, WV, but the old adage "the show must go on!" was our motto! Thanks to the crowd who appeared (slowly, but surely) to hear patriotic music played by the West Virginia Symphony and to see the fireworks show sponsored by WQBE and the City of Charleston.

I would share pictures of the event, but it was a bit hard to juggle the umbrella and the camera, much less the hot dog I enjoyed during the concert.

Having been in a few planning meetings for this event (including a few conversations about a rain plan), I can tell you that an outdoor event is as difficult to decide to cancel as it is to put on.

For an outdoor concert, the symphony grapples with hour-by-hour weather alerts, calls to the National Weather Service, coordinating the set-up of stands and chairs in an effort to keep the musicians safe, the instruments dry, and the audience comfortable.

That doesn't even include the details of safety, traffic, vendors, boaters, and fireworks prep that the City of Charleston had in place on Saturday night.

Having checked my watch all week to make the sure the 9:30 p.m. start time for fireworks wouldn't be too light over the Charleston skies, I was delighted to see the fireworks begin at 9:10 p.m. against the overcast, but brighter blue sky that made those red stars and purple bursts look ever more magnificent. Accompanied by patriotic music broadcast on WQBE, the evening ended in time for me to get home to dry out and enjoy a cup of tea before turning in.

Happy Birthday, America!