Each year around the 4th of July, Tonda Cody, a friend of the family, has an over-the-top firework explodoganza. These are not your run of the mill fireworks. She goes out of her way to find the extra fancy kind of fireworks that were probably an ancient Chinese secret at some point. I don't want to guess what she spends on them, definitely more than $1.50. Don't think it's just an informal get together where people go out on the driveway and randomly light fireworks. Oh no, she has an "altar" in the back yard on which the fireworks are lit. Programs are distributed telling visitors what fireworks they will be seeing. The whole affair is set to patriotic music. It's kind of a big freakin' deal.
The party should also be noted for it's diversity in an undiverse place, Tonda's husband, children and in-laws are black. Yeah, there are black people in Idaho, Tonda's in-laws. When this party happens it is quite possibly the most racially diverse gathering in the state.
