VERO BEACH — Although the rain fell for most of Independence Day, ruining outdoor picnic plans for many, Vero Beach residents made their way to Riverside Park throughout the day, many arriving early in the morning to stake out the perfect spot from which to be a part of the Fourth of July festivities.
Tents, barbeque grills, and comfortable chairs were all part of the accessories that made sitting in the rain all day a bit more bearable.
At times the rain was torrential, and it looked as though the fireworks and other activities would have to be scrapped.
In honor of the Fourth, the City of Vero Beach presented “Family Fun and Fireworks Extravaganza 2014,” which was supposed to begin at 4:30 p.m. Unfortunately, the monsoon-like rain precluded the live music performances, including Crooked Creek and American Idol Finalist Kristen O’Conner. The live music, instead, got under way around 7:30 p.m.
The event was sponsored by the City of Vero Beach, Indian River County, Mulligan’s Beach House Bar and Grill, and Treasure & Space Coast Radio.
By 5 p.m., despite torrential rain, more than 750 revelers showed up in the shadow of the Vero Beach Museum and Riverside Theater, to enjoy food selections from 16 different food trucks, sponsored by the Buggy Bunch, bounce houses, the Fireman’s Express Children’s Train, as well as arts and craft vendors.
Around the Barrier Island, people were making the most of their rainy day off, moving barbeque grills into open garages and eating burgers and hotdogs inside.
Vero Beach Recreation Director Rob Slezak took shelter in a golf cart during the worst of the squalls that came through at around 5:30 p.m. Although he was covered in plastic rain gear, he was smiling and extremely optimistic about the evening, saying that he had been watching the weather reports and the radar, and the rain was supposed to clear around 8 p.m. – an hour before the planned fireworks show.
At 7:30 p.m, the rain, thunder and lightning did not diminish Slezak’s positive attitude.
“It doesn’t have to be clear for the fireworks,” he said. “It just has to be dry.”
As luck would have it, the rain had mostly stopped and the skies were clearing by 9 p.m., just in time for the pyrotechnics to begin, accompanied by a simulcast music presentation. Those who had spent the day inside began to stream toward Royal Palm Point, the Merrill Barber Bridge and the Alma Lee Loy Bridge, to watch the spectacle.
Both bridges were crowded with people dressed in red, white, and blue patriotic paraphernalia.
Somewhere in the dark, Rob Slezak was enjoying the spectacular fireworks show, which lasted for nearly 30 minutes, and breathing a sigh of relief, especially because no rain date for the festivities had been set.
“We are hoping we never have to go through that again,” said Slezak. “We had that sketchy weather and we didn’t know if it was going to stay or if it was going to go. We learned a lot about what we will do in the future, especially regarding communication and a rain date.”