This Tree Kinda Ruined My St. Cloud 4th of July Fireworks

What an awesome Fourth of July weekend it was! The weather was great, people are out and about again and the St. Cloud fireworks show was back!

Unlike last year's weird "We are going to shoot off these fireworks from somewhere at some time good luck seeing them everyone" event, the fireworks were done on the river like God intended.

My three-year-old usually goes to bed at seven p.m. because we all have to get up so ding-dang early to do the morning show most days. At about 7 on Sunday night my wife Ashli asked if we could let our son, Charlie, stay up late to watch the fireworks.

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I said yes, foolishly thinking there was no way that he was actually going to make it that late and I'd get to go to bed at a decent hour.

Narrator: I did not get to bed at a decent hour.

He actually made it, which meant that we had to load up the car and head to the fireworks. We arrived at the tech college parking lot around 9:30 and found a spot off to the side in case we had to leave early due to a tired toddler.

After a rousing round of sparklers and poppers (the most dangerous fireworks allowed in Minnesota), the show was set to begin. Charlie wasn't sure what to expect but I am guessing he expected more than one-tenth of a firework only visible between the branches of a tall tree.

I chose a terrible spot that just happened to have an abnormally tall tree exactly in the line of sight for the fireworks. Oops.

Since he didn't really know better I don't think he was too disappointed but I was! We piled back into the car and tried to find a better spot but by then it was too late.

So it begins, my friends. Now that he has a taste for fireworks we will have to chase the dragon looking for the best fireworks show around, staying up until midnight, fighting traffic, etc, every single year.