Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans came together in Columbus to celebrate Independence Day at Red White and Boom Tuesday night. Some spent the following day - July Fourth - a little more quietly.
Tuesday night's Red White and Boom was a 30-minute feast for the eyes,and maybe a little too much for the ears. But the thousands who thronged Columbus' riverfront enjoyed it just the same.
The traffic jams afterward lasted longer than the fireworks. It took some drivers more than an hour to pull out of their downtown parking spots.
So when it finally rolled around, how did Ohioans celebrate the Fourth of July? Some did it quietly, like Columbus native Shirley Green. She now lives in Washington Court House and she decorated for the occasion. That includes dressing a pair of cement geese that sit on her front porch.
"Well I have two geese and I usually keep them dressed each month in something different and this time it's red, white and blue for the 4th of July," Green says. "The male has a red and white striped hat. And the outfit is a red top with white sleeves and a trim of white with blue stars. And the bottom of the dress is the same. And there's a red rick-rack around the bottom and a blue ruffle."
His mate, by the way, is dressed in a bikini.
Shopping was on Eileen Compton's mind July 4th. She lives in West Chester and brought a friend along to the outlet mall. She expected to have a low-key 4th of July.
"We're shopping," Compton said, laughing. "We're going home and have some fried chicken and have a nice quiet one. Go look at some fire works later; if it doesn't rain. Hopefully it won't rain."
Fisherman Fred Reynolds ignored the lure of the barbeque grill for a little angling at Fat Cat Lake. He arrived there as stormy winds began to kick up.
"Out here trying to catch some fish," Reynolds said. "I haven't caught any yet. Too much wind right now. But other than that I'm out here still trying to catch fish. Love fish. Love to eat fish."
Heavy rains did fall on parts of Central Ohio during the afternoon but skies cleared before dark. That allowed the fireworks from some of Columbus' neighboring cities to continue.