Indeed...!!!
When we first moved back to Texas, and to this neighborhood, back in Aug. of ‘76, there were only a few blocks of completed homes.
By 1985 the whole neighborhood had been built out with approximately 3400 homes.
Also built during that time were a few apartments and townhomes, almost 6 miles of hike and bike trails, parks and pavilions, etc., tennis courts, 2 junior olympic neighborhood pools with other amenities, retail and professional buildings, 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school.
So, it really wasn’t until about 1980-ish (the year I graduated HS) that all the neighborhood fun really started to kick into high gear...!!!
Back then the 4th of July Parade (and also when our kiddos were little) included fire trucks (including an antique truck), as well as the County Sheriff cars (they had no SUVs back then
).
The huge neighborhood 4th of July fireworks display was at the middle school across from my folks house at the other end of the football field directly across the street...man, those shows were AWESOME...!!!!!!!
There was even a Christmas Parade where Santa rode around on the antique fire truck tossing treats to the kiddos that lined the streets...good times...!!!!!
At one point they quit doin’ the fireworks show (can’t remember exactly when or why, as I was too busy “living” the 80’s
), but, they still did the 4th of July Parade and the Christmas Parade when our kiddos were little, but, not sure if they still do...I guess we’ll find out this Christmas...!!!
Even after the official fireworks display ended folks would still come to the park catty-cornered to my folks house with their fireworks to shoot them off.
It really got interesting in the late 90’s when the more affluent neighborhood across the road from us was completely annexed by the City of Austin. No more fireworks for them.
Solution...head over to our hood and set ‘em off.
These people had to have spent thousands of dollars on the huge stuff they used to set off...!!!!!!!
The neighbors in the culdesac behind the park by my folks house always had a 4th of July block party during that time.
We all knew that the fireworks fun would slowly begin about dusk.
There were 3 families/groups that came from that neighborhood and set up in different parts of the park to have a sort of battle of the fireworks. They would kinda’ take turns tryin’ to outdo each other, and then at the end all set off everything they had left at the same time...it was crazy, and all lasted far longer than any “organized” fireworks show we’ve ever seen...shell after shell after shell...!!!!!!!!!!!
But, alas...
We were then annexed on a limited basis by the City of Austin in 2008, and all fireworks ceased, for the most part.
Although the block party still went on until a few years ago, it just wasn’t quite the same without the anticipation of those fireworks.
At least the 4th of July Parade tradition is still taking place, and I’m hoping the Christmas Parade still takes place, as well.
Anyhoo...
It’s just beyond crazy how much the whole Central Texas area has grown over the last 43 years.
We used to be a small island in a sea of country, and now we’re a larger island in a sea of city...!!!!!
www.floridainvents.org
Works for me...!!! 
