Rockets' Red Glare Lightens Stormy Day

Payne acknowledged that D.C. authorities were being especially watchful after incidents last week in London and Glasgow that involved vehicles rigged with gas canisters.

"Anybody could take a vehicle and load it up," he said. "That's the hardest thing to stop."

No suspicious cars were reported, he said. Several vehicles were towed from Independence and Pennsylvania avenues, where parking restrictions had been tightened.

District police closed the 14th Street and Roosevelt bridges to traffic at 9:05 p.m. Sgt. Joe Gentile, a police spokesman, said the closures were to prevent hazards caused by drivers stopping to watch the fireworks and also "as a tactical security measure" in light of last week's terrorist attacks in Britain.

Lauren Kohari, 23, an administrative coordinator for the American Psychological Association, sat on a blanket near the Washington Monument with her roommate, Suzanne Ostrofsky, 22. She said there was no point worrying. "If it's going to happen, it's going to happen," Kohari said. "I'm not going to not go to the fireworks in D.C. because there might be a terrorist attack."

Watching the parade on Constitution Avenue in the afternoon sun were three Scottish tourists: Stewart and Audrey Connor and their 15-year-old son, James. The Connors flew from England to the United States the day before a flaming car rigged by terrorists crashed into a terminal entrance at the Glasgow airport.

It is "not worth getting nervous about that stuff, really," Stewart, 42, said. His wife, 40, said: "You could get killed crossing the road, couldn't you? All of this will never stop me from traveling."

As the afternoon passed quietly, Payne alerted the police and other colleagues of a severe storm watch for the evening.

Staying Dry -- and Patient

Donna Cox, 40, of Owings and about 25 family members and friends sought shelter in the National Air and Space Museum.

"It was great," Cox said. "We just took a seat in there and had fun."

Because Cox and her group have come for the fireworks for nearly 25 years, they were prepared for almost anything. They left their temporary campsite under tarp while they listened to the Air Force band inside the museum.

As usual since Sept. 11, 2001, people seeking spots for the evening concert and fireworks had to go through checkpoints and present coolers and knapsacks for inspection. Near the Washington Monument in the afternoon, some played sports while the U.S. Navy Band warmed up on a stage.

Eve Persian, a native of France who lives in Woodley Park, said she has been coming to see the fireworks for more than 40 years.

"It's nice to take part in what's typically American," the 68-year-old retired secretary said. "It brings you back to what is important in life. . . . Country, for one, a certain amount of happiness and peace."