Aurora’s fireworks celebration to salute the Fourth of July may have been delayed a week due to severe weather, but those attending the makeup event at RiverEdge Park Friday evening didn’t seem to mind.
“I’m happy to have another event to go to and it just feels like the party is continuing,” said Debbie Morrick of Oswego, who was enjoying a birthday celebration with her family and grandchildren at the event. “I like that this event is happening a week later. It’s a great birthday present.”
The original fireworks event was postponed July 3 due to multiple rounds of severe storms that hit the area on July 2 and 3, with Friday, July 10, set as the new date for the show.
Beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, the city of Aurora offered its Independence Day Fireworks show including music, a variety of food options and of course, fireworks.
Before the event, Jon Zaghloul, director of communications for the city of Aurora, said there was no evidence “of any steam going out of the crowd” despite the Fourth of July being over.
“We are expecting thousands to come out tonight to watch the rescheduled fireworks show. The programming is just the same as it was supposed to be a week ago,” he said.
Zaghloul said that, in some ways, Friday night worked out even better than the originally scheduled date, given the improved weather conditions as well as there being no other events to compete with it.
The crowd built up after the start of the fest, with perhaps 1,000 in RiverEdge Park by 7 p.m., with a crowd of 4,000 expected by the time the fireworks began, officials said.
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Many attending the event said seeing fireworks is something that never gets old.
Debbie Morrick’s daughter Chante said that “last week, we went and saw Yorkville’s fireworks,” adding that everyone was ready for more.
“I’m not Fourth of July-ed out. I could see fireworks every day,” she said. “For me, I just like them. I like when all the community comes out and being outside.”
Melanie Edfors of Bristol said about the rescheduled festival that “it’s always a good day to celebrate America, right?”
She said fireworks shows are always worth attending.
“It’s exciting,” she said. “You never know what you’re going to see.
“You don’t know what will be the most exciting display of the night,” she said. “I just think it’s neat to see what’s next. You get more out of this and being outside which I think we need to do a lot more – just being together as a community and eating good street food and having the kids dancing to music. It’s a great time.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.