Thousands attend annual fireworks festival

Fireworks explode in the night sky at Four States Fair Grounds park at the Spark at the Park event on Saturday, June 29, 2019, in Texarkana, Ark. Staff photo by Hunt Mercier
Fireworks explode in the night sky at Four States Fair Grounds park at the Spark at the Park event on Saturday, June 29, 2019, in Texarkana, Ark. Staff photo by Hunt Mercier

What started out as a depressing drench of rain Saturday morning morphed into a pleasant inviting breeze by evening- one which may have given Sparks in the Park an extra burst of attendance.

"We may have had close to, if not more the 30,000 come out to last year's celebration,"said Wes Spicher operations manager for Townsquare Media. "It looks like the leftover storm clouds are giving us a nice breeze-and that might bring even more people out this year. Last year it was actually pretty hot."

Like last year, Spicher said that kid-friendly games and activities brought out families from all throughout the Four States Area.

Several of last year's games-such as sack racing, three-legged racing, hula hooping, bubblegum blowing and ball running-continued to be some the more popular competitions, Spicher said.

With the summer season coming into full swing, many of this year's food vendors offered frosty drinks while others like the DeKalb,Texas-based Thomas Farm's Kettle Corn sold varieties of popcorn.

"This is our third year of coming out to Sparks in the Park,"said Nancy Thomas,who along with her husband, Nick Thomas, own the business. "This year feels like God has been good to all of us when it comes to the weather. I also love watching all the families come out and enjoy the evening."

One of the more sought-after food commodities included the miniature ice cream cones offered to kids for free inside the Four States Fair's Agricultural Learning Center.

Former Miller County Judge Roy John McNatt and his wife, Barbara, continue to give out these summer treats at each Independence Day celebration as they have for the last 13 years.

"This is a good way of advertising for the dairy cattle industry, McNatt said. "I've been in the dairy business for more then 51 years now. I did dairy farming all my life in Miller County."

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