TAMPA, Fla. — On both sides of the bay, Fourth of July was capped off by grand fireworks displays. There was “The Fourth” at St. Pete Pier and Boom by the Bay in Tampa.
But enjoying those views meant braving a heat advisory for many on a day that was hot even by Florida standards.
“Like a thousand degrees,” joked Kali Strickland, who watched Boom by the Bay with her family.
At Boom by the Bay in Tampa, in the hours before the big fireworks show, shade was at a premium, and people like Emilie Brown and Bobby Lee did whatever they could to stay cool.
“We already stopped by the water park. Got us cooled off. But we’re trying to stay in the shade,” said Brown.
“Beer. Beer,” Lee added with a laugh. “Beer does it.”
Ice-cold, fresh-squeezed lemonade did the trick for others.
At times, Spontaneous Consumption, a lemonade vendor from Lakeland, had a line down the sidewalk.
Despite the heat, the payoff was worth it.
“I think, for us, it’s just a minute to stop and not only think about the Fourth of July but the people who made it possible. Things like that. The veterans. The everything. Just to be a part of a place that gives us the freedom we have,” said Lee.
