By Peggy Bullard

Lake Mitchell always celebrates big on the Fourth of July. This year was no exception, despite the clouds, rain and some pretty heavy lightning.

The fireworks were scheduled for July 3 at 9 p.m. in Cargile Creek, but around 8 p.m., God put on a light show in the heavens. It was absolutely awesome in itself.

Just around 8:50 p.m., the weather let up, and we and many others headed by boat to Cargile Creek.

Jim McCormick and his team do an awesome job with the fireworks production set to music.

After the awesome display was over, we barely made it home before the sky opened up with torrential rains again. Talk about timing!

The same thing happened on the Fourth with the parades. We woke to heavy clouds and threatening rain, yet the pontoon boat parade with around 25 decorated boats made it around the lake without getting rained on.

Between 10 a.m. and the 2 p.m. speedboat parade, the lake was extremely busy. There were more boats and personal watercraft out on the water than I have seen in years even on a holiday.

The water was like an ocean in front of our place. The speedboat parade also was on time and without rain but not without dark clouds all around.

Soon afterwards, the heavens opened up and the bottom fell out, so to speak. It rained so heavily we could not see four feet from our boathouse.

Some of our group had gone for a boat ride to the dam and saw the rain coming and headed home. They made it inside the boathouse before the downpour.

We are sorry to say many others did not, and as we were trapped inside our boathouse for around 30 minutes, we watched as others were getting soaked trying to make their way home.

Late that evening, God sent a rainbow over the lake. Both ends could be seen, and though there was no pot of gold found at either end, it was a perfect ending to a weekend of celebrating our freedom here in the United States.

Give God the glory. He is still in control.

Peggy Bullard is a community correspondent for The Clanton Advertiser.