Salute to Independence

Antietam National Battlefield hosts the Salute to Independence around Independence Day each year, featuring music from the Maryland Symphony Orchestra and a tremendous fireworks display. It’s a large event and has been happening since 1986. With that being said, these people know what they’re doing and how things should be done.

Photo taken from marylandsymphony.org Visit their site for more info on the event and the Orchestra!

I was excited to head over to Antietam from Monocacy, as I was asked to help park cars and assist with the traffic while everyone was exiting the park. I was also looking forward to seeing fellow ProRangers Dan Bussell from Manassas and Isaiah Lewis from Gettysburg. With expected crowds of up to 20,000, it was important that everyone was on the same page.

The stage from afar and small crowd earlier in the day.

Luckily, that is exactly how it happened. Upon arrival, we were given assignments for where and who we were working with for the evening. Dan, Isaiah, and I were all assigned to the same parking zone, so it was nice to catch up in person for the first time since Leadership Camp. We were working with employees from Antietam and through clear instruction and well mannered visitors, the time flew. Cars were parked, the sun was disappearing, and the fireworks show was amazing.

Fireworks never look as cool in a picture, so you should check them out in real life next year.

Our supervisor was saying that it has been difficult in the past with the amount of people trying to get out of the area at the same time. Maybe it was beginners luck, but it was painless. We all spread out along the road, making sure the pedestrians and cars knew where they belonged for a safe exit. We stopped traffic when necessary, or asked pedestrians to wait for a car to pull out. All in all, it was a great experience that went smoothly while everyone worked as a team.