TARGET FIREWORKS LIGHT UP THE SKY


By Bree Gant
Writer-Reporter
Tell Us Detroit


There is nothing like having red carpet under your feet and VIP passes in hand—well, unless you have a few fireworks to light up your night as well. Monday marked the 50th Anniversary of the Target Fireworks. This grand array of pyrotechnics is one of the largest displays of fireworks in the nation. Thousands gather every year to enjoy this tradition with family, friends, and the rest of the city; and, despite the storms preceding the event, 2008 was no different. The streets were closed off in the late afternoon and soon every corner of downtown Detroit with a view of the river held a crowd of anxious spectators.

The place to be to witness this Star-Spangled Spectacular was The Parade Company’s Official VIP Rooftop Party, nestled between the Renaissance Center and Hart Plaza, atop the Miller Parking Garage. The event began at 6p, lasting all the way until 11p. The “two floors of fun for everyone” most certainly held a little bit of everything. The themed festivities represented various regions of the nation. There was baseball and the casino on the East Coast, karaoke and face painting in the Southwest, and the one and only Stanley Cup was, of course, in the Midwest.

Aside from the family fun there were the necessary ingredients for an exclusive social event including: the dance floor, in the center of everything, with a few avid hustlers, numerous open bars scattered about, with a few avid patrons, a lounge, complete with piano, and the media, ready to capture the camera ready partiers. The familiar faces of Channel 4 were broadcasting live with their Super Singer Contest. And then there were the VIP. Everyone was in attendance: corporate sponsor executives, political officials, athletes. Kenneth Cockrel came with his young ones, and Detroit Lion rookies Ron Bellamy and Drew Stanton were seen enjoying the night as well.

As scheduled, at 10:06pm fire burned through the night sky. Over 30 tons of explosives lit up the river, two cities, and so many smiling faces. There could not have been a more beautiful ending to such an amazing evening.
 

Photo by Ron Harper/Tell Us Detroit