VERO BEACH — Dozens of children dragged their parents up the stairs and into the elevator at the newly condensed Vero Beach Book Center to take part in the annual Great Bubble Wrap Explosion to celebrate the Fourth of July just a few days early.
The children gathered around Miss Julie Dossantos, eagerly awaiting the start of the event.
“Who’s excited to be here today?” she asked the crowd of antsy kids. A cheer went up, along with several hands. When called upon, a boy said he was excited for the bubble wrap popping.
Another boy said he excited for the books that were to be read – “Cranky Doodle” and “Who’s on First?”
Diane Innes brought her daughter and niece to the Vero Beach Book Center specifically for the Fourth of July event.
“We had nothing planned,” she said, explaining that when they heard about the Great Bubble Wrap Explosion, they had to check it out.
“I like everything about popping bubbles,” said 8-year-old Abby Daniel, Innes’s neice.
“They’re fun to do,” agreed 7-year-old Renzy Innes.
Both girls spent the minutes leading up to the Fourth of July story time flipping the pages of various books, mostly from the sealife category – sea turtles for Abby, dolphins for Renzy.
Miss Julie led the kids through several songs and dances and read the two books, all before releasing them to put together a patriotic-themed star with which they would parade around the second-floor children’s center.
“It’s tons of fun,” Miss Julie said as she bounced from one end of the store to the other getting everything ready for the grand finale – the bubble wrap “fireworks.”
On hand to observe how the event fared given the consolidation of the adult and children’s book stores was co-owner Linda Leonard. Leonard started the “Great Bubble Wrap Explosion” many, many, many years ago when the book center was located up Miracle Mile where Kelley’s Pub is now situated.
She said the idea came to them when, during a puppet show, there was a need for fireworks sounds. Searching for something that would do, they found bubble paper – as Leonard calls it.
“The kids loved it,” she said, so the store began saving its bubble wrap specifically for a Fourth of July celebration.
“We just did it every year,” Leonard said – and has continued to do so for about 20 years.
And what keeps the store’s employees – and Leonard – keeping the tradition going?
“The joy on the faces of the children, and their parents, and their grandparents,” Leonard said.
The Great Bubble Wrap Explosion serves not only as a fun event for children, but also a way to use up the excess materials.
“We can only use so much for packing,” Leonard said, noting they do keep aside enough to handle what bit of shipping they need until more deliveries arrive.
“When they stop using bubble paper, we’re in trouble,” she said.