A large contingent of rafts and boats dotted the waters in anticipation of the famous Menards’ family fireworks.
Then it was crash-bang-boom as the Menards lit the fuse. And the crowd was in the mood for it. This video compresses the action into 30 seconds.
By freezing fireworks in flight, you can see their intricate details. And like snowflakes, no two are exactly the same.
Photos by Diane Deming and Rick Belcher
The Menard’s fireworks have become an annual Independence Day event at Clark Lake. It is Evelyn Menard, now in her 90s, who is the inspiration for this extravaganza. She comments “Fourth of July is my favorite” and she adds at “a place I love, Clark Lake.” The whole family takes on roles to put the show together from their dock.
This year, the 4th fell on a Wednesday, and three events filled the week. On Tuesday, July 3rd, the Beach and Boat Club treated the lake to its display (click here to view it). On July 4th, the hard work of the Raft-O-Rama committee could be seen. Luminaries, created for residents, lined the shores, bathing the lake in a soft glow (click here to learn how this works). And Saturday night marked the finale with the Menard’s display.
Thank you to the Menard family for always making a great fireworks display. We enjoyed it so much and our family looks forward to it every single year. We are very fortunate that they do this for our Clarklake family and they should be commended for what they do.