Smiling faces looked up high at the skies at Valley Grande City Park was lit up Wednesday night in honor of Independence Day. The large crowd was filled with people of all ages, as children and adults alike lounged around and watched the show.

Valley Grande councilwoman and event organizer Tammy Troha said the show is a way for the city to show their gratitude.

“Hopefully the citizens of Valley Grande will see how much we appreciate them and everything they do,” Troha said. “We show our appreciation every year by doing [the firework show].”

Although, there aren’t many differences in this year’s show and the last, Troha said there were a couple of minor additions. 

“We added an extra ten minutes on to the firework show, and we got someone out there selling peanuts,” Troha said. 

She said last year, about 2,000 to 3,000 people attended the show, and she was excited to witness the community enjoy the show once more.

“Last year was such a success, and even though every one has their own family time during the Fourth of July we just wanted to make sure we do a spectacular firework show,” Troha said.

The show being a success was important, but Troha said the main objective was to put smiles on the citizens’ faces during the holiday.

“We just want to give back to our community,” she said.

Before and during the show, WALX provided music for the participants.

Troha said she is happy to see continued growth in the firework show, and is looking forward to seeing more and more families enjoy the show in the coming years.

“We’re looking forward to this event getting bigger and bigger every year,” she said. “The children as well as the adults love it, and it’s a great family event.”