With a red, white and blue popsicle in hand and “American Pie” on blast, Sara Rooney of Vienna, Virginia, admired the Chicago skyline from the Lakefill.
Cherubs spent the Fourth of July covering the Evanston Fourth of July parade and watching Evanston’s firework show. Rooney, who interviewed 17 people for her 250-word story, decided to end the holiday by sharing a 20-pack of knock-off Bomb Pops.
“The view was so beautiful, and the energy with all the great people I was with was definitely something I loved,” Rooney said. “It just felt so relaxing that even after such a hard day of work, we were able to have such a fun experience with each other and just enjoy ourselves with those popsicles.”
Before the fireworks started over Lake Michigan at 9:30 p.m., Ishaan Tipirneni of Lexington, Massachusetts, played foosball in the dorm lounge.
“This Fourth of July was definitely more jam-packed than most of my Fourth of Julys,” Tipirneni said. “You always have the fireworks, but usually I’m hanging out with family. This time, I was running around Evanston looking for interviews, writing an article and transcribing interviews. It was a lot more busy, a lot more action-packed, but also very fun.”
Grateful for Rooney’s sugary-sweet efforts, Hannah Lee of Fullerton, California, settled in. She hadn’t finished chewing a mouthful of chips when fireworks exploded off the beach. Cherub heads tilted up to view a 30-minute show in the sky.
“It was probably the best fireworks I’ve seen in my entire life,” Lee said. “I’ve never seen fireworks so close. It was a really beautiful scene because we were at the lake, and I was with my friend group, which I barely knew at the time, but it was a bonding experience.”
The explosions were so close that they reminded her of a loud concert. She even felt vibrations in her chest, she said.
“It was so intense, but it was so much fun,” Lee said. “We took a lot of pictures, we were eating snacks and having a good time and at the end there was a lot of smoke. It was the most beautiful Fourth of July I’ve ever experienced, and I doubt I’ll even get fireworks this beautiful back at home.”
