GREENFIELD — In lieu of popular Independence Day celebrations, residents and tourists alike were finding alternative ways to celebrate — or not — the holiday weekend.
“Normally, (my plans) would be the Greenfield fireworks,” said Paul Emond, a Greenfield resident, on Friday.
But with the cancellation of the annual Greenfield Independence Day celebration, which would have been held at Beacon Field on Saturday, Emond and his friends were planning to head north to Halifax, Vt., to celebrate the holiday with fireworks there.
Others, like Montague resident Diane Laramie, had a much quieter weekend planned.
“I’m staying out of crowds,” said Laramie, who lives in Turners Falls. “I’ll be staying home where I’ll have a little cookout with my other half.”
Any other year, she said, they would have gone to a beach or lake with family to celebrate.
“But it’s scary to be in a crowd,” Laramie said. “We’re still not out of the water.”
So instead, she said, she’ll grill up some steak and corn on the cob, and she’ll call her kids to wish them a happy Independence Day.
It’ll be different without the fireworks this year, she added.
“From where we live, I can see the fireworks,” Laramie said. “So that will be disappointing.”
The Wine Rack employee Matt Jaksik, meanwhile, was working.
“I would expect it’s going to be a busy Fourth, even though people aren’t traveling as much” he said, noting that business for the liquor store on Main Street has picked up since the pandemic began.
Visiting from Warwick, R.I., Kathy Melbourne and her fiancée, Lisa Close had a weekend of activities planned, including white water rafting at Berkshire East.
“We haven’t traveled in months, so it’s a big deal to be out and about,” said Melbourne, who celebrated her 50th birthday Friday.
Close said since they won’t be seeing fireworks on Saturday, they’ll probably have a quiet night.
“I guess we’ll just do dinner outside,” she said.
Others, still — such as Freddie Leary of Brattleboro, Vt. — weren’t sure they wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July this year.
“I don’t really want to be celebrating America too much right now, with everything going on with the Black Lives Matter movement,” she said. “I feel kind of gross about where we are as a country.”
Her friends, Sarah Gordon-Macey and Hazel Kinnersley, felt similarly.
“I’m not too disappointed about the fireworks,” said Gordon-Macey, who normally went to the display at Beacon Field. “I usually went for friends and for the fun — that aspect, I feel like I’m missing out on.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @MaryEByrne