by Hunter Dawkins
The gathering of the Hanson family on the Pass Christian Beach is synonymous with the United States Independence Day. As the patriarch of the family, Courtney Hanson put it, “I didn’t start it, but I am the oldest one making sure it still happens.”
Between E Scenic Drive and Seal Avenue was where the crowd move towards, parking on the grass between the antebellum Scenic Drive houses and the beach wall near downtown Pass Christian. According to the Hanson family, this celebration has been occuring for 50 years.
At dusk, the fireworks were in position, as they were pulled in from the U-haul van rented. The show began in three different spots honoring the Independence of the United States for 242 years.