St. Pius X High School in Crystal City will hold its seventh annual Fireworks Extravaganza this month.
The event, which is at 1030 St. Pius Drive, will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, with gates opening at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $20 per car.
St. Pius president Jim Lehn said the event has seen a steady increase in attendance since its inception in 2017. “Last year we had approximately 600 vehicles. Given the fact that we charge by the vehicle and not per person, we believe there were over 3,000 in attendance this last year.”
The event will feature local musicians Exit 180 Band. Underwood BBQ, Kona Ice, Bob’s Drive-In and concession stand food will be available. Coolers are welcome.
Fireworks will begin at 9:15 p.m. Lehn said the show will last approximately 20-30 minutes.
Lehn said the school doesn’t make money on the event and holds it to provide the community with an entertaining evening.
“It’s a great place and reason to come together as a community, celebrate July 4th and see an incredible fireworks show,” Lehn said. “It’s a pretty neat event. The fireworks are pretty awesome. People come have a good time.
“From its inception, the purpose was always to bring the community together to celebrate our country’s independence.”
Lehn said this year’s event will include extra safety precautions after last year’s event, which ended with the tragic death of 13-year-old child, Karli Payne, who was struck by a vehicle while crossing Hwy. 61-67.
“The one major thing is we’re going to put up boundaries for access to 61-67. No one is going to be allowed to cross that area. We will have a barrier along the road.”