SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KFSM) — Thousands of people from Northwest Arkansas will gather at Arvest Ballpark on the Fourth of July to witness one of the largest firework shows in the state.
5NEWS got a behind the scenes look from the man behind the show.
While Matt Tate has a normal day job, when summer rolls around he is known around Arvest Ballpark as the "firework guy."
"It’s exciting, it’s why I do what I do, it’s the thrill it’s being right underneath it having sparks come down and hit me in the head," Tate said.
Tate and his team are hard at work preparing for this year's massive holiday firework display.
While crews put on a show the day before, they say Thursday's (July 4) display will be much bigger.
"I have a lot of stuff at the lower levels and a lot of stuff at the higher levels so it gives you a better field of view," Tate said.
Crews say that for every minute of the display, an hour of work went into getting it up in the sky. Each firework is synchronized to go off at a specific time all with the push of a button.
"It’s all choreographed to music tomorrow every shell is picked for a specific part of the song," Tate said.
Tate says each firework for the show shoots nearly 300 feet into the air. While he says the best view is from inside the stadium, he says by the end of the game all along the street next to the park will be filled with people ready to see the show.
Arvest Ballpark encourages those wanting to see the show to buy tickets in advance. The exhibition game begins at 6:30 p.m. and fireworks will follow.