$7,500 worth of fireworks, courtesy of the Lawrence Jaycees, entertained a crowd of 8,000 people in KU’s Memorial Stadium on the night of the Fourth. An additional 4,000 people gathered to watch on the hill south of the stadium. A tornado watch at 4:30 p.m. had cooled temperatures and provided early fireworks in the form of a 30-minute lightning display, but the clouds dispersed in time for the evening show.

Final preparations were being made for the third annual Independence Days celebration at Burcham Park, which would be held on weekend after the holiday. Event organizer Judy Wright said that tickets were “just going like hotcakes” and that the weather was predicted to be perfect for the opening day.

The Student Loan Marketing Association, informally known as Sallie Mae, was seeking $4 million in industrial revenue bonds to fund construction of a 50,000-square-foot office building in Lawrence. The new offices were expected to employ 300 to 500 people.