Independence Day in the old Midwest

This morning my mother sent me a 4th of July remembrance suitable for "Prairie Home Companion." She grew up in a large middle-class family in the St. Louis area, with relatives in the tiny Missouri town of Rosebud. This anecdote probably took place in the early 1930s.

Many years ago Dad took our family to Rosebud, Missouri to visit the H._____ family, his cousins. They lived directly across the street from the town's little Lutheran church. We were all on their front porch and Dad, the 'big city' guy, wanted to show off his fireworks.

He set off this big sky rocket and whoops, instead of going up into the air, it went directly across the street through a stained glass window at the corner of the church, and through the church and out the other stained glass window. He could have burned the church down if it hadn't gone through the stained glass windows. Oh my goodness, what a commotion; the whole town came running. We were never invited back on another 4th of July.