The 2013 4th of July will go down in the history books as one of the best ever. The weather Gods delivered the goods and the live music all day on the beach in one of the most picturesque settings in all of the Adirondacks was simply blow-away.

The kids fun activities in the park were a huge hit, as was the Lions Snack Shack and the throngs that packed the restaurant and bars along Main Street and made those cash resgisters ring loudly. 

And the unstoppable parade organizer Kate Huston pulled off her magic once again -- delivering one of the best ever.

Town Supervisor Mike Marnell was especially excited to see what the evening would bring. For the first time in many years -- the beach would be open for spectators and picnickers, who could watch our annual fireworks show from the beach and lawn.

The town had hired the Alonzo Fireworks Company, from Mechanicsville, NY, to deliver one of their awesome productions -- launched from a barge on the lake. Last year folks were forced to stand on the roadway on Dock Street, kept behind a plastic orange safety fence, because new safety rules were enforced.

But what transpired next  with  our BIG Fireworks show -- wasn’t in the plans. The usual 20 minute spectacular was either an 8 and a half minute to a 9 minute sad show at best  -- and it went off as the Word of Life Collegians and singers fro the Seagle Music Colony were still playing.

When we caught up with Mike, he was very disappointed with the way the show turned out.

“It appears that the barge wasn’t big enough for the amount of fireworks they (Alonso) bought). This company has a fantastic reputation doing 14 shows over the Summer at Lake George. They came highly recommended to us”

Mike was planning to talk to company officials to get “a full explanation” as to what went wrong.

“Plain and simple, we needed a bigger barge. I expect that they (Alonzo) will make it up to us during the Labor Day Fire Works. 

Some folks either loved or hated the shortened show according to several lively postings on the Schroon Lake Facebook Page. 

And there seems to be some confusion about whether the fireworks show should have started after the choral music finished.

“Apparently the concert was extended by 15 minutes, but no one told me about it. The music should have finished before the fireworks started. That was a mistake.”

Councilman Roger Friedman agreed the day was a huge success -- and that the fireworks show was not what anyone had envisioned.

“What we accomplished was a great experience for the crowds who came. Last year we had a quarter of the crowd stay to watch the fireworks, and they had to stand on the road. This year the crowd was huge on the beach and lawn above.

“How Big? is 15,000 - 20,000 under or over estimating it? I don’t know.”

What are your thoughts on the fireworks? Share them with us in comments.