Nothing ever stays the same, no matter how much we want it to. Even fireworks on the Fourth of July. Or a small town on the Tred Avon River.
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Every year in June the Town of Oxford begins preparation for one of its big events of the year, the Fourth of July Fireworks which will be held this year on the evening of July 3rd. The town has had fireworks for decades, but research makes it difficult to pin down the first year the celebration was formally held in the town.
We can confirm that the initial sponsor of the fireworks was the Oxford Fire Company before the Tred Avon Yacht Club, with financial support from the town, became the official hosts. Most searches list the early 1970's as the beginning of what was a mostly local event.
Since the late 80's, the event has grown exponentially. Where it used to be an event where one could make a last-minute stroll to the town park or the Strand to view, it has now become an event with hundreds of visitors all converging on the town on the afternoon of the show, all looking for good vantage points, parking, and a cool place to wait.
And then, of course, they all leave at once causing a mini-traffic jam on Oxford Road.
Lifelong resident Jimmy Greenhawk* remembers that his family used to watch the fireworks from "Cooper's Hill," a small bit of shoreline at the end of Tred Avon Avenue and Benoni Street. They would either sit in the grass, put down blankets or bring chairs to view them from there. Of course, there were always the obligatory firecrackers before or after the event, usually set off by his brother Buddy, who was a bit of a prankster.
Grandkids were there too, eliciting warnings from Mom-Mom Greenhawk to make sure they were careful with the sparklers they had. " You're going to burn yourself!" she would yell.
The Greenhawk family home, a small waterman's house with two bedrooms and seven people living there, was on Tred Avon Avenue. They didn't even have indoor plumbing until the 60's. Roland was a waterman and carpenter; Doris was a nurse. They didn't have much money. Yet their children will tell you those were happy times in the small Eastern Shore town.
Watercolor of the Greenhawk Home - Artist Jimmy Greenhawk
That small, tidy, hundred-year-old home has been replaced by a huge home complete with pool and pool house. Not a waterman's home nor any semblance of the one that was once there. One wonders how it got approval by the historic district commission since it's not at all historic. Someone just bought the house and property for over 1 million dollars.
That home, that family, was just one of many living in Oxford. There were kids everywhere, playing football in the church lot, running up and down the shoreline, fishing, crabbing, and playing ball on the town's Little League team. When the fireworks were held, they watched from the shoreline, from a neighbor's dock or from the town park while swinging on the swings or climbing the metal monkey bars. The monkey bars are no longer there for safety reasons.
They would get their hand mixed sodas, milkshakes and snow cones from Bringman's store for refreshments during the show. Bill and Mert Bringman were an "institution" in town for decades. They loved those kids and kept school pictures of all of them posted on the wall. It was a gallery of cute smiling if mischievous, faces.
That building now hosts the Oxford Museum.
Historic Picture of Bringman's Store
Many watched from what used to be a lovely, long uninterrupted stretch of beach on the Strand. Occasionally, viewers would take a foray out into the water to cool off. The fireworks and the Strand were for everyone. Unfortunately, the Strand has been "restored" into something quite unrecognizable and wading into the water could mean cutting your feet on oyster shells exposed when sand eroded away.
Oxford Strand Beach Prior to "Restoration"
Ferry Captain Bill Benson would take residents out on the ferry to watch the fireworks and those who had boats would take them out to the middle of the river for viewing. Many would anchor their crab boats next to each other watch with friends as a nice respite from their backbreaking work.
And everyone would "ooh" and "ahh" and cheer for each new beautiful sparkle!
At the Robert Morris Inn, visitors would saunter across the street to watch the fireworks or linger in the courtyard. The Inn is closed now with no idea when, or if, it will regain its former glory and reopen.
Fireworks was mostly a town affair back then. I remember working at the Pier Street Restaurant, now Doc's Sunset, while local residents would come find a table, order some crabs, pickles and cheese, and beer etc. in a "porch" location where they could watch the fireworks. Crabs were $12.00 a dozen back then. Now they range from $35 to $185. The atmosphere at Docs is still, joyful, celebratory, and fun. But, as with most things, the prices are higher. It's a fact of life with everything and a burden business owners have to deal with.
After the fireworks, adults would go to Pope's Tavern to play pool, get a burger, and drink more beer while sharing tales with each other about their somewhat exaggerated escapades. Pope's is now under complete renovation as new owners are striving to preserve it while making it a new venture for today's population. A business in today's Oxford can't survive off of local watermen and workers. It has to appeal to a more selective audience who come here to enjoy the ambiance of a small town and its beauty.
The families who once lived in Oxford for the most part are no longer here. When parents and grandparents died, properties were sold. Young middle class people can no longer afford to buy or even rent in a town where the median price of a home is $615,000 to $695,000. The median listing price for active inventory is at a much higher $1.3 million. The average cost is $893,000.
The average rent in Oxford, when one can find a rental, is $2,250 a month. High end is $3,500 a month. That's a huge portion of a family's income.
Oxford is not alone in those drawbacks. Across the nation, young families are finding it difficult to purchase an affordable home. The combination of higher prices, higher interest rates, slower income growth, and tight housing supply has made entry-level homeownership dramatically harder for Americans under 40. Maryland buyers face even more barriers to home ownership due to those same problems magnified by the State's proximity to D.C. and onerous state laws. Only six states rank higher in population loss than Maryland.
Maryland Comptroller Releases Report on Housing and the Economy
Long time Oxford residents don't resent new people in town, they want and need others to live here. Just ask those in the Oxford Fire Company who are constantly trying to recruit younger members. They only ask that those new people learn and respect what Oxford was BEFORE they bought their property and before they decide things need to drastically change. We ask that they allow us to retain some of what Oxford was before they turn it into a smaller version of wherever they came from.
All that being said, the fireworks are a great event. Oxford is still a wonderful place to live. Things are developing in the town with the Pope's renovation, a new restaurant opening on the outskirts of town, and rumors that other restaurants recently closed will be under new ownership soon. (We could not confirm any of these rumors.) Sandaway Suites and Beach are still active in providing new amenities and events. The Scottish Highland Creamery sells great ice cream, Oxford Social has really good coffee and pastries, and the Oxford Market is now sponsoring great new menu items including pizza and burgers for takeout. While Ms. Louise's shop full of gifts and goodies no longer exists, the Oxford Treasure Chest has stepped up and filled that void.
Town Commissioners are working on a new parking plan for the town as well as undertaking a project to mitigate flooding in town.
The Oxford Fireworks that exist in our memories is gone. We can't get it back in a wholesale manner. There will be traffic jams and jostling for perfect spots for viewing. The vendors of meals and treats are different. But the Fireworks will remain a hot summer evening to join with friends to watch a great fireworks display and celebrate the 250th Birthday of our country and maybe make some new friends who just got here.
Oh and, by the way, while the country is 250 years old, the Town of Oxford is an amazing 343 years old. Talbot County is 365 years old. As they say, USA, hold our beer!
We hope to see you!
Other Events in Oxford This Weekend:
Oxford 4th of July Kids Bike Parade and Games. Join our amazing Parks and Recreation volunteers for fun and celebration July 4th starting at 10:30AM.
The Commissioners have approved special activities at the Customs House on July 3, 4, and 5. These events will provide opportunities for community members to lead outreach efforts and welcome visitors while highlighting Oxford’s important role during the early Revolutionary era.
Come on out!
SPECIAL NOTE: We thank Mike Bell and our Maintenance Department as well as the Talbot County Sheriff's Office for their hard work on this day. Hats off to the Tred Avon Yacht Club and the Town for sponsoring the display!
Also, If you have other memories of a 70's, 80's, 90's etc. Independence Day Fireworks, please share in our comments! We remember a lot, but we can't remember everything.
