The Detroit skyline was filled with the sounds of thunder Monday night and on this day, it wasn't a storm. The Ford Fireworks kicked off its 66th year as the night sky turned different hues.
The first firework display streaked across the sky and burst into a thousand bursts of green, blue and red sparkles glittering over the Detroit River. Children covered their ears and squealed as more fireworks boomed overhead, showering more sparks and dots from the sky.
“This is awesome. This is always great and it’s always better than the last time," said Dorothy Spicer, who with her husband, Joe Spicer, 60, of Detroit have made their way to Hart Plaza for the fireworks for 50 years.
The fireworks, a beloved tradition in Metro Detroit, drew thousands of spectators downtown for the 10 p.m. show.
Hart Plaza opened at 2 p.m., and crowds gathered along the Detroit riverfront with lawn chairs and picnic blankets to stake their viewing spots. Organizers expected between 30,000 and 40,000 people for the show.
Belle Isle also opened at 2 p.m. and was at capacity for 3,000 vehicles by 7 p.m., said the Department of Natural Resources, which manages the island.
The fireworks marked another plus for the city: There was the widely successful NFL Draft, the Chevrolet Grand Prix, Movement Festival and the opening of Central Station, said Tony Michaels, president and CEO of the Parade Company, which produced the event.
Earlier, in Hart Plaza, the crowd passed time until the fireworks. Screaming children cooled off in the Dodge Fountain and 50 people danced to "Cupid's Shuffle" in less-than-perfect synchronization.
For Dara Griffin, 56, attending the fireworks is nostalgic. Growing up, she would watch them from her family’s apartment downtown. After construction blocked their view, her family would walk to Hart Plaza, where Griffin of Sterling Heights now watches the display over 50 years later.
“I’ve traveled a lot. I’ve seen the fireworks from other places, but they are not as spectacular as here,” Griffin said.
One year, Griffin and her family were so close to the fireworks, they had to hold up an umbrella to protect themselves from charred particles raining down on their heads.
“We were right there. We were being dumped in ash, especially during the finale,” Griffin said.
On Belle Isle, thousands of people gathered with tents, picnic blankets, lawn chairs, even hammocks, to enjoy the day before catching a glimpse of the show over the Detroit River. Families sat on the lawn, barbecued, danced, sang and fished waiting for the fireworks. Food trucks and other vendors lined the side streets.
In the Detroit River, viewers stationed themselves in boats, for a view of the show from the water.
Detroiter Sheree Tooles, 29, estimated she has been to the fireworks show every year since she was born, and can’t wait to “pass the tradition down to (her) sons.”
“This show is just amazing, and it’s worth all the time put into getting here, and I just can't wait for them to see it,” she said, pointing to her sons as they cheered and kicked around a soccer ball. "I hope they love it as much as I did growing up."
Detroit native Anthony Adams, 61, staked out Belle Isle early with his high school friends to see the fireworks for the first time since he saw them with his sons in 1991. After being discharged from the Air Force this year, he said he was “excited to be home to see the show for the first time in years.”
“It’s exciting to be in a place where people come together like this, embracing culture and gathering and just being happy together.”
Adams said he remembers his family’s tradition of watching the show every year at the riverfront when he was younger, and is now eager to see what's changed over the years.
“Being back for the fireworks brings back a lot of memories, and I can’t wait to see if this show is better than it used to be ... I'll give credit where it's due, but I don't know if this show can beat the one I used to see as a kid.”
Brother and sister Byron and Joyce Jackson, 56 and 55, brought along their combined family of 22, made up of nieces, nephews and grandkids, to show the younger generations of their family the show they used to look forward to every year as kids.
"This just feels like home," Joyce Jackson said.
The Jacksons have been watching the show at Belle Isle for years with their parents, and now they came together to "bring their children and children's children each year."
"It's just a spectacular time, and each year we come, we get to enjoy ourselves and be comfortable," Byron Jackson said in the midst of his big, clamoring family.
