Venues include front porches, boats and parking lots

GLENN AND ALBERTA Rhoads enjoy a bird’s eye view of West Grand Traverse Bay from their home atop a bluff along Lincoln Road. The Rhoads and their family will watch the fireworks shoot out over the bay this July 4, one of many unique viewing spots for displays on July.

Glenn and Alberta Rhoads were looking for some land of their own when they came north 59 years ago.

Rhoads was raised in Gratiot County, known for flat, fertile farmland. He had recently married Alberta, whose grandparents were interested in selling their farm property along Lincoln Road in Elmwood Township.

Rhoad’s father wasn’t quite ready to get out of farming business in Gratiot, so Glenn and Alberta took a trip up north to Leelanau County to look at the land.

The view of West Grand Traverse Bay from the property was breathtaking.

“When I came around the last corner (on Lincoln Road) and saw where the farm was, I had to stop and look. It was just beautiful,” he said.

What they didn’t know then was that their farmhouse would serve as a great place to watch fireworks.

Standing on the front porch of their home sitting atop the bluff at the top of Lincoln Road, about a eighth of a mile west of Bugai Road, you can see West and East Grand Traverse bays, as well as coastline all the way up to Norwood.

“On a clear day, you can see well into Grand Traverse County and beyond. It really is a stunning view,” Rhoads said.

They built their present house 37 years ago; their original house is located farther north across Lincoln Road. When the couple’s three children were young, they would take them to Traverse City to watch fireworks in conjunction with the National Cherry Festival..

“We used to take them right downtown so they could hear the explosions, get the whole experience,” Rhoads said.

Now, son Ron has taken over the family farm, which entails raising cattle, growing corn and maintaining acres and acres of cherry trees. Daughters Robin Rhoads lives on Cherry Bend Road, and Ann Smith lives in Traverse City with her husband and two children.

Instead of battling traffic to watch fireworks, Glenn and Alberta step out of their front door and sit in front porch swing to watch the fireworks.

Sometimes their children and grandchildren come over to watch as well.

The stretch of Lincoln Road in front of the Rhoad’s house is a popular spot on July 4 and the final Saturday night of the National Cherry Festival, both dates for fireworks displays over West Grand Traverse Bay. The Rhoadses have counted as many as 30 vehicles parked along the road, with people sitting in the beds of pick-ups and atop campers straining to get a glimpse of fireworks away from the crowds.

The view from along the road is not as good as it is from the Rhoad’s front porch, as a line of trees right along the road has grown up over the years.

“It’s easier now for us to just sit here and watch. Sometimes we don’t get to see the beginning because the explosions don’t go as high, but we get to see the big stuff,” Rhoads said.

Northport and Leland will host July 4 holiday displays as well. Leland starts the firing on July 3 at dusk, with Northport’s show happening July 4 at dusk. The Traverse City display starts around 10:15 p.m. on the fourth.

The Leland display will be shot off just north of Van’s Beach, which attracts a good-sized crowd to the popular lakeside community. While the display can be seen from waterfront properties to the south and north, the view from the bluffs just north of Leland also provide some spectacular views without the hassle of a crowd.

Many Leland residents can enjoy the view from their homes. Cris Telgard said he and his family can watch the explosions from their front yard.

“We can usually see the displays go right up,” he said.

Cindy Schaub and her family join friends on their boat to watch the display from North Lake Leelanau. “We can see the explosions very well from the boat and you don’t have to worry about the crowds out on the water,” she said.

For the Northport show, some of the best seats are right down on the beach and at the marina park area. But in an attempt to avoid the “oohs” and “ahhs” crowd, Northport, locals often gather in the elevated parking area of the Northport Highlands retirement community, formerly known as Leelanau Memorial Hospital.

Deb Van Pelt, a lifelong Leelanau Township resident and current township clerk, said she joins family and friends often in front of the former hospital to watch.

“The fireworks get shot just down the street so you see everything,” she said. It can get a little crowded, but not as crowded as the beach.

Braman Hill, a township park overlooking the village, seems like another natural for beating the fireworks crowd. Visitors can see Charlevoix on a clear day from the park, but it may not offer the best view for fireworks.

Of five people contacted about watching the fireworks from Braman Hill, none said they knew of anyone who returned there every year.

“I know a couple of people tried it, but they went back to watching it from the beach, or up at the hospital,” Van Pelt said.