Not even a hurricane can put a damper on Fourth of July celebrations. Thousands of holiday-makers gathered at the Charles River Esplanade in Boston on the eve of Independence Day to watch the annual Boston Pops concert and a spectacular fireworks show that ended just minutes before hurricane Arthur's first major downpour.
Half a million tourists from all over the nation flock to Boston for its yearly Fourth of July festivities, which many have declared nothing like any other celebration in the country. This year, however, there isn't going to be any merrymaking on July 4 because Boston was forced to move the celebrations one day ahead in anticipation of strong winds, rains and flooding due to bad weather.
But the impending arrival of a hurricane didn't put out the festivities at all. Spectators from all over the United States came decked in red, white and blue, carrying miniature American flags, blankets and beach chairs to revel in music from the legendary Boston Pops, the Beach Boys, the Boston Children's Chorus, Broadway star Megan Hilty and Boston Idol winner Jilly Martin.
"I drive past D.C., I drive past Philadelphia, I drive past New York," says 60-year-old T.C. Jones of Virginia, who travels to Boston every year for the Independence Day celebrations. "This is the Fourth of July."
Unfortunately, continuous warnings of a looming hurricane forced the Pops to skip their annual rendition of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," which many people say is "the best part of the whole concert," to make way for the fireworks display, which was also cut off with evacuation orders from state police.
"Once it was clear that a strong storm cell was going to impact Boston, we ordered the concerned be shortened," says Boston police spokesperson David Procopio. "We then ordered evacuation and cleared the Oval and Lagoon areas out. Evacuation was relatively orderly."
A heavy downpour accompanied with lightning followed shortly, leaving thousands of locals and tourists caught in the rain or huddling with their loved ones under what little shade they could find. But not even getting drenched in the rain didn't do much to spoil the fun. Adamarie Brini of Wakefield says it was definitely an experience "to tell the grandkids about."
"It ended on a bang, that's for sure," says says. "We got wet. No harm, no foul. We got to see the fireworks."
The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center released at 3 a.m. EDT says hurricane Arthur is located about 25 miles south-southwest of Manteo, North Carolina and is moving northeast at a speed of 22 miles per hour and maximum sustained winds near 100 miles per hour. The NHC expects Arthur to begin weakening later in the day on Friday and become a post-tropical cyclone on Friday evening or Saturday.
