I would like to request that planned fireworks displays, whether privately sponsored (Bates College) or publicly sponsored (high school graduation), be prominently announced in the paper. Not a weekend has gone by lately without such a display.

Having a quiet evening suddenly come alive to the sound of gun and rocket fire (particularly after 9 p.m.) is annoying, to say the least. Many people work early shifts that require them to get up early for sometimes stressful and painstaking careers, and whose performance could be impacted to the detriment of others by lack of or interrupted sleep.

Others among us suffer from chronic illnesses and/or insomnia and other sleep cycle interruptions, who might find being awakened to the sound of fireworks a not-too-pleasant experience. Not to mention that, since Sept. 11, 2001, unexpected explosive sounds set the nerves on edge with a fight or flight reaction, which I imagine would be particularly heightened in the veterans among us.

In addition, there was a time when fireworks displays were limited to national, patriotic occasions. I do not think that high school or college graduations qualify as this type of occasion. The more often these displays are seen, the more likely they are to engender a ho-hum reaction than the awe-filled thrill I remember from childhood.

Claire Flint, Lewiston

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