Best Fireworks Display You've Seen

I grew up in Great Falls, so the best fireworks displays I had ever seen were the ones they lit off Hill 57, which you could see from anywhere in town. As we got older, we'd at least make Dad drive us closer to where they were being set off. That seemed to make the show a little bigger and a little better. Of course, you could feel some of the explosions at the end when they lit off the finale.

It was shortly after I moved to Billings in 1988 that I went to Laurel on the Fourth of July and watched their amazing display. One of my factors in a good fireworks display is not having to drive very far to see it. Though it was a short drive to get out there, it was a 2 1/2-hour trip back to my Heights apartment. There aren't a lot of ways to get out of Laurel when a few thousand others are all leaving at the same time as you are.

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My only "big city" Fourth of July fireworks display was the one I saw in Oregon about 30 years ago. They anchored a barge in the middle of the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington. For starters, they have a huge budget to buy things that blow up. Secondly, when you get the reflections of the fireworks on the river at the same time, it really adds something to it.

These days, I just sit out on my patio on the 4th and watch the neighbors shoot off a 401k worth of explosives.

10 Things to Do for Your Dog if They're Scared By Fireworks

My two big German Shepherds just hated the Fourth of July. My girl Bella used to run into the bathroom, push the shower curtain aside, and lay down in the tub. My sweet guy Zeus who weighed about 100 pounds would try to get in my lap every time I sat down, or would try to hide in the space between the toilet and the tub!

The dog who likes fireworks probably is a good hunting dog too. But, not mine, and not a lot of other dogs on the Fourth of July. But there are things you can do to help your furry kid get through fireworks season without going totally insane.

The American Kennel Club has all kinds of advice on how to get your pooch through the entire summer in good shape. But for the Independence Day holiday, they have 10 tips on how to keep your dog calm.

Gallery Credit: Patty Dee