Happy Birthday America!

Abigail Stedman, 6, watches the wind ripple her flag at Freedom Fest on July 4 at Pullen Field.

Fort Belvoir's annual Freedom Fest filled Pullen athletic and Long parade fields with fireworks, fun, a dose of Americana and enthusiasm on the Fourth of July.

The greens quickly filled with soccer-playing, flying disc-throwing, horseshoe-tossing and catch-playing families and friends.

People rode bikes, in-line skating, strolled around the track or hitched a ride in a wagon while awaiting the evening's main attraction: the fireworks display.

Children swayed to the songs and sounds of the band EZ Street as the other festival-goers feasted on crab cakes, hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, cotton candy and ice cream.

Strong winds threatened to interrupt the schedule but subsided so the crowds could continue enjoying the holiday.

Umbrellas were then used for shade from the setting sun and warmth instead of pending rains, hail and wind.

The show did go on and those who stayed were rewarded with a spectacular 25-minute fireworks display.

Some children on Long Parade Field came just for the fireworks dressed in their pajamas, ready for bed as soon as they got home.

Until the skies lit up with pyrotechnics, some crowd members also threw footballs, chased dogs, wrestled with slipper-wearing children or just did some people-watching.

No one seemed to keep up with any of their activities, though, once the first test firework boomed through the sky. Shortly afterward, the crowds at both locations hushed as they were wowed by the finale to the evening.

Fireworks boomed through the sky above the trees from two firepoints at the end of Long Parade Field.