a scene from Independence Day on West 69th Credit: Video by Peter Larson

a scene from Independence Day on West 69th
  • Video by Peter Larson
  • a scene from Independence Day on West 69th

Fireworks, flare guns, explosions, and patriotism in the west side. Vice.com just posted some pictures and video from the Fourth of July block party in Gordon Square taken by Cleveland photographer Peter Larson, and they are definitely worth checking out:

Cleveland is also filled with a ton of wildly interesting and peculiar people, which is why photographer Peter Larson calls the city his home. In this selection, Peter captured an annual Fourth of July celebration on the city’s West Side in the Gordon Square neighborhood where podunk citizens set off weapons-grade fireworks right in the middle of their street. Enjoy the pics and start planning your road trip to the most slept on city in the nation.

Larson’s video of the scene was taken on West 69th:

Youtube video

Youtube video

This article appears in Jul 10-16, 2013.

Doug Brown is a staff writer at Scene with a passion for public records laws and investigative reporting. A native of Ann Arbor, Mich., he has an M.A. in journalism from the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a B.A. in political science from Hiram College. Prior to joining Scene, Doug was a contributing writer for Deadspin.com, reporting behind-the-scenes stories about college sports through public records and developing sources. Doug's work as an enterprise reporter for the Daily Kent Stater was recognized by the Cleveland Press Club (2013 Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards), Society of Professional Journalists (regional and national Mark of Excellence Awards), and the Associated Collegiate Press. He spent the summer of 2012 working for the Metro desk of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and spent previous summers working for Outside Bozeman Magazine and Crain's Detroit Business. His website is dougbrown8.com.

5 replies on “Vice.com: Cleveland’s streets of fire”

  1. I would not want to be standing that close to one of those things. That’s quite the block party though.

  4. We’re new to the neighborhood and had heard about this, but didn’t know what to expect. They put on an amazing show – and I look forward to enjoying their tradition for many 4ths to come.

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