Spectators of all ages gathered on beach chairs and blankets in Ocean Park Sunday as the Vineyard Haven Band began the annual prelude to the Oak Bluffs fireworks show. The familiar summer scene took place on a new day this year as the annual Friday show was postponed two days because of the weather. Blue skies prevailed Sunday as crowds gathered to celebrate the end of one of the busiest weeks of summer and, for some, the season's swan song. Groups of teenagers walked through the crowd carrying white paper bags full of doughnuts, younger children practiced gymnastics, and Oak Bluffs firefighters were out in force, selling merchandise and asking spectators to fill boots with donations. The fire department puts on the annual show.

As dusk settled over Ocean Park the band played well-known songs, including a rendition of All About That Bass, as children marched around the bandstand waving glow sticks. Darkness fell and the crowd stood and sang along as the band began the first notes of the Star Spangled Banner. The song ended with cheers and the evening's first few fireworks as the lights dimmed, the band put away their shiny instruments, and the crowd, marchers and musicians alike, settled in to watch a spectacular 40-minute display.