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DARIEN, Conn. After nine years, Darien once again celebrated Independence Day properly with a full fireworks show at Darien High School on Sunday night. After some fears that scattered rain throughout the day might delay or cancel the show, it went off as planned without a hitch.
The thought of rain may have scared off some people none of the nine designated viewing areas were full. But attendance was hardly scarce, either, with hundreds of families camping out on the field to watch the fireworks, which were shot off from beside the football field by Atlas Pyrotechnics.
As soon as it was dark enough, the sky lit up again with red, white, blue, green and purple explosions that filled the night with booms and screams that nearly drowned out the patriotic music playing over the loudspeakers. As smoke billowed out over the football field, thousands craned their necks to the sky in awe.
Over the past few years, Jo Gleeson has watched Fourth of July fireworks at Rye Playland, in Rowayton and even in Nova Scotia, but she said the return of fireworks to Darien was worth the wait. "It was great," she said. "I'm glad to see the fireworks back. I wish they'd done it sooner. It really brings the whole community together."
The event was put together by a group of Darien residents led by developer David Genovese and Planning and Zoning Commissioner Sue Cameron. Together, they raised the funds for the show, about $47,000, without any taxpayer money. Admission was also free, although spectators were asked to make a donation to the Darien Firefighters Foundation, which helped raise a lot of the money for the show. Many of the vendors will donate a portion of their proceeds to the foundation.
What did you think of the fireworks Sunday night? Tell us below, on Facebook and on Twitter. And if you have photos or videos from the show, send them to reporter Casey Donahue at cdonahue@thedailydarien.com and he'll put them on the website!
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