Fireworks, John Adams & Greg Collins

What better way to celebrate our nation’s birth than in the place where it was actually started? I’ll admit – growing up in Washington DC, I have been spoiled by the extensive and impressive firework show over the Capitol and White House every 4th of July. So when Friday rolled around accompanied by heavy rain and lightening storms, I was not too excited. A bunch of the interns headed back to my house to hang out, convinced that the fireworks would be canceled. Sitting in the living room, we heard the ominous booms, similar to the cannon blasts from the Williamsburg reenactments throughout the year. It was still raining so we went over by Duke of Gloucester Street where we watched the dark sky become illuminated by flashing lights of green, gold, red, blue from the comfortable umbrella and shield of my car.

As we were watching, I couldn’t help but think about the town of Williamsburg over 300 years ago celebrating our nation’s independence. It is the same town that Tom Hanks and Paul Giamatti used for the entire John Adams series that my friend and fellow intern Greg Collins (see photo) is overly obsessed with.  I remember him coming up to me last year, so excited I thought he just might pee himself, exclaiming that one of the history professors had told him they would be coming to film the series in Colonial Williamsburg. “I didn’t know John Adams came to Williamsburg!” he had exclaimed to Professor Axtell. “He didn’t… they are making it look like Boston,” Axtell had replied.

Even now, as I write this entry, Greg is sitting next to me watching the John Adams series in four minute clips off YouTube. His last words to me as he removed the headphones from his ears… “Sorry, they are reading the Declaration of Independence right now and it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

… Only at William and Mary.