FORT SMITH (KFSM) - One area where thousands are expected is the Riverfront Park in Fort Smith where Mayor Sandy Sanders will host his annual firework show on Saturday (July 4).
The pyrotechnician who gets the Mayor's Fourth of July celebration all set up along the Riverfront is headed into town on Friday (July3). He's one of the many people who work together to put this entire show on every year.
But something you might not know about the mayor's fireworks is, you can't get the fireworks at any old fireworks stand. These fireworks are actually hand crafted and meant to "wow" large crowds.
There's a long process of how everything works. All the tubes are in crates with sand in between them so they don't move. The firework shells then go into the tubes, the wicks come out, and a line connects everything electronically to a firing station.
That's where the pyrotechnician comes in. He has a computer board where he will decide during the show which tube to fire from next.
Even though the fireworks are the main reason people will come out on Saturday night. Organizers said there will be lots of other stuff to do as well.
"We have everything going on downtown with the new splash pad, the ferris wheel, and all the restaurants," said oragnizer Jennifer Oberste.
Organizers said they have this whole process down to a science and there's no pressure what so ever.
Events kick off on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. with live music on the main stage at Riverfront Park. The fireworks start at 9:30 p.m.