Jaycees plan bigger 4th of July show

More donations mean more fireworks

There will be plenty of bangs thanks to a few extra bucks that the Lawrence Jaycees were able to raise for their annual Fourth of July fireworks show.

Gary Saathoff, president of the Lawrence Jaycees, said the group was spending an extra $1,000 on fireworks for this year’s show, which will be Monday at Burcham Park, 200 Ind.

“We’re going to have maybe a couple hundred more shells than we did last year,” Saathoff said. “The show probably should be five to 10 minutes longer than in the past.”

Festivities will begin at 6 p.m. with live music from the Ready Brothers Band and The Prairie Acre Band. The fireworks show is expected to begin at about 9:45 p.m. and last upwards of 45 minutes.

Saathoff said the show was able to expand largely due to a $7,000 donation from Emprise Bank. The City of Lawrence also donated $5,000 to the event. Overall, the approximately 20 members of the Lawrence Jaycees Club raised $14,000 for the event, which has taken place annually for roughly the last 50 years.

“We have a very small but very dedicated group of people who look forward to putting this on every year,” Saathoff said. “We have a lot of people who this is the only project they’ll work on all year, so this is their way to give back to the community.”

Saathoff encourages spectators to arrive early. Burcham Park is the best location to see the entire show, but other good viewing locations include the Kansas River Bridge and the Kansas River levee, he said.

Free bus rides between downtown parking lots and Burcham Park, provided by the Lawrence Bus Company, will be available for the event. The shuttle service is sponsored by the Lawrence Journal-World.

City officials also are reminding residents that shooting nearly all types of fireworks in the city is illegal. The only exceptions to the ban are party poppers, snappers, snakes, sparklers, toy caps and toy smoke devices.

Sgt. Dan Ward said the police department will have special patrols out on July 4 focusing on enforcing the ban. He said residents are urged to call the police department’s dispatch number – 832-7509 – to report violations.

Shooting fireworks in unincorporated parts of the county is legal. Firework stands can be open for business from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, and from 7 a.m. to midnight on Sunday and Monday. According to records from the Douglas County Zoning and Codes Department, there are 14 stands registered to sell outside the city limits this year.