— by Minor Lile, Orcas Issues reporter —
Our monthly Village Voices series takes the pulse of the Orcas Island community. Every month we’ll be out and about, asking people to share their point of view on a particular topic. Sometimes the questions will be serious, sometimes more light-hearted. We invite you to join the conversation by sharing your response to the question in the comments area.
This promises to be a 4th of July unlike any other. With fireworks displays and public gatherings cancelled, most of us are likely to be staying close to home, as my wife and I will be. Our plans are to watch Lin Manuel-Miranda’s “Hamilton,” which is premiering on the Disney Channel this weekend, have some corn on the cob, and each eat a fair-sized piece of rhubarb pie.
What are your plans for the 4th of July?
Asked at Orcas Landing on July 3, 2020
(answers have been lightly edited for clarity)
Sarah: I’m going to be hiding from all the tourists on the island.
Wyatt: My plan for the 4th of July is to move into a new place. That’s probably all I’m going to be doing, morning ‘til night. So I guess you could say that’s sort of a declaration of independence. Then I’m going to try to sneak away at some point in the night to go see if I can catch the Lopez fireworks.
Bridget: I’ll probably have a fire in my backyard, but besides that, absolutely nothing.
Ethan: I’m just going to transition back to the other place I live, over in Bellingham. I come out here and live on my boat and do tree work during the week. And I go over there and spend time with my daughter on the weekend. So, no real plans except to just try and lay low and stay away from the crowds.
Jason (a Deputy Sheriff): I’ll be working so I’ll probably just be going from call to call. My guess is that the day is mostly going to be filled with talking to people that are lighting off fireworks. Our focus is on education rather than giving out the $556 fine. So, we’ll basically be collecting the fireworks and saying, “Look, there’s a reason they are illegal here. We understand that everybody wants to have fun, but safety first.”
Jared & Elsa: We’re going to help celebrate a friend’s birthday, but other than that we’re going to avoid the festivities with everything that is going on.
We invite you to join in the conversation.
What are your plans for the 4th of July?
Please share your answer in the comment area.
