LAURINBURG — Eyes lit up with joy as the city of Laurinburg held its 17th annual Fourth of July Fireworks Display on Thursday.
Despite a late afternoon rainstorm, the city announced through Facebook that the event would go on. As the rain stopped, about 1,000 people choose to watch at Pate Stadium on the campus of Scotland High or at Cross Pointe Church’s parking lot.
The Laurinburg Fire Department was on sight to ensure fire safety and a part of Railroad Street was blocked off to the public. Fire Inspector Bradley Strickland saidd that a fireworks company, hired by the city, started setting up around 3:30 p.m.
“They have 700 to 800 fireworks set to go off between 9 and 9:15 p.m.,” said Strickland. Some fireworks were electronically set off, while others had to be detonated by hand.
Children of all ages gasped and awed at the firework spectacle. Many families brought chairs or simply sat in their cars to catch the fireworks light up the dark sky. Some brought glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets to make the night even more memerable.
“I like being happy with family and friends,” said Micaiah Dover, 9.
His friend, Caleb Watson, beside him added, “I like the fireworks (because) they’re pretty.”
At Pate Stadium, prizes were raffled off and given to those who gave the right answer to trivia questions while the Band Booster Club sold hot dogs, snacks and drinks.
In the Cross Pointe Church parking lot, members handed out flyers to those coming to park and lead the cars to open spaces. Ice Breakers Snoballs sold its New Orleans-style ices from its food truck and the church sold hot dog plates.
“We have 27 acres of land and we had over 1,000 people last year,” said Michael Edds, pastor of Cross Pointe Church. “The Fourth is Americana. It’s about mom and apple pie, the flag, and it brings the community together. We try to make this a community space and I thought if we could be a focal point for all people, race, creed or background — we just want to be good neighbors and we want it to be a place where people can gather.”
He adds that opening the church land for free parking is just one of many ways to give to the community.
“We decided to build a multipurpose building to eat, worship, and play there,” added Edds. “We let community organizations use the space, anything to help the community.”
Multi-colored fireworks lit up the night for an hour, ending with a round of fireworks close together to close out the American holiday.
Jael Pembrick can be reached at 910-506-3169 or jpembrick@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
