On a day that began with the pomp of trumpets and show horses in Kailua and ended with bombastic displays of fireworks around the state, Hawai'i residents celebrated the United States' 233rd birthday with a mix of pride and reflection.

For all their fun, the backyard cookouts, family beach outings and concerts ultimately gave way to that most spectacular of Fourth of July events — fireworks.

A huge crowd gathered last night in Ala Moana Beach Park for the state's biggest fireworks display. Some of them arrived Friday morning and had been camped out ever since.

Police estimated the crowd at 35,000 people.

All sat under a full moon waiting for the fireworks to begin.

Boyd Baldomero of Makiki was there with a group of 50. He said he has been coming every year for 10 years. "It's a family thing," he said. "We always came every year because it was safe and congenial."

His daughter, Nyssa, 4, said she loved the fireworks.

"I like the red. I like the blue. I like the green. I like the sparkle," she said.

"It was very awesome. It was big and very awesome."

Meanwhile, neighborhoods braced for the personal use of firecrackers and other types of fireworks, and the Honolulu Fire Department was on the alert for any potential problems. By early evening, it had been a relatively quiet day for fires.

HFD Capt. Terry Seelig said there had been 33 reported fires by 9 p.m. — 17 of which were brush fires, seven rubbish fires and nine others. He said 16 of the fires were probably caused by fireworks. There were no reports of injuries or damage to buildings.

While the fireworks at Ala Moana were perhaps the grandest around, other displays were scheduled on O'ahu from Schofield Barracks to Turtle Bay, Kapolei to Hawai'i Kai and Kailua.

Kailua was also the scene of a popular annual Fourth of July parade yesterday morning, and hundreds of people lined the streets for the sun-baked procession that included Boy Scouts and bikers, Rotarians and roller-derby divas.

Don Smith, 53, of Kailua, and his son Daniel, a member of Boy Scout Pack 311, marched for the third consecutive year.

"When (Daniel) looks back, I hope he'd feel honored and privileged to have the opportunity to celebrate Independence Day this way," Smith said. "It's a great way to honor our country and show our respect. It's especially meaningful because we have troops overseas."

Frank Barcelona, 56, of Kalihi, echoed the sentiment.

"We have to remember that we have troops overseas that we have to continue to support," said Barcelona, who marched with his fellow Knights of Columbus. "It means a lot for me to represent our Lord and to show our patriotism."

Lucio Sanico, 85, of Makakilo, led a group of 16 Korean War veterans down the parade route.

Sanico, an Army staff sergeant, served in the Philippines during World War II and was stationed in Japan when the Korean War broke out.

He smiled as he surveyed the children along the route, many of whom came dressed in red, white and blue.

"It's hard to explain, but we try to keep our kids out of harm's way," he said. "That's important because not every country thinks that way."

In their first appearance at the parade, Wanda Akiu and 50 students from her Pua O Na Ali'i hula halau made a big impression with their elaborately decorated flat-bed truck float.

Akiu and a group of volunteers worked all week to build pieces for the floral-themed float, then stayed up to the wee hours on Friday to assemble everything.

For Akiu, lessons of the day were evident in the collective efforts of her halau.

"It's really important to teach kids to work as a team," she said. "Everybody showed up and everybody helped. They all believe in community service."

Shelly Uyesugi, 44, of Kane'ohe found a shady spot from which to enjoy the parade. It was an especially happy Fourth for Uyesugi and kids Alexis, 4, and Kenzie, 2, coming just five months after Uyesugi's husband, Ken, returned from a deployment in Kuwait.

"It's all about quality family time," she said.

Originally from Maryland, Uyesugi grew up celebrating the holiday with fireworks and an annual backyard barbecue at her grandmother's. She said Hawaiian-style celebrations aren't much different — although she still misses the Maryland steamed crabs.

"It's a time to celebrate with family and friends," she said. "I'm proud to be an American."

The mood was less festive but still heartfelt at 'Iolani Palace, where the Temple of Lono was hosting a gathering of Native Hawaiian leaders, cultural practitioners and others who find Independence Day a bittersweet occasion.

"While everybody is celebrating the Fourth of July, we are still not independent," said Hank Fergustrom.

The event started with what Fergustrom called a "lively" discussion about the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Kau Inoa initiative, the Akaka bill, and Hawaiian sovereignty in general. It continued with an afternoon screening of Catherine Bauknight's film "Hawai'i — A Voice for Sovereignty."

"In order to get on the same page, we have to talk about our differences," Fergustrom said. "It's difficult to say that we are going to be a people if we can't come to some sort of shared platform. There are very diverse opinions (about Hawaiian independence) but people were civil and courteous, which we needed to keep our dialogue intelligent and moving forward."

Fergustrom said he hopes that participants will "go back to their home teams to share what was discussed so we can have more fluid and focused discussions."