The Hillsboro Independence Day celebration drew about 2,500 people, event organizer Terry Glass said.
The annual event, held on July 4 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 10349 Business 21 in Hillsboro, featured 14 local vendors, pony rides and a 30-minute fireworks display.
“It was a very large success; we were very excited about the turnout,” Glass said. “The fireworks that we were able to shoot off were much larger. It was a great night.”
Glass attributes the warm community reception to a new fireworks staging and spectating area.
“We moved the fireworks to the back field, and we were allowed to shoot bigger and better shells this year,” he said. “I think it was bigger than last year; it was very well received with the placement of the fireworks, and people really liked it a lot better.”
Glass, who represents Ward 1 on the Hillsboro Board of Alderpersons, said the fairgrounds was “very fortunate” it didn’t experience any power outages caused by strong thunderstorms earlier in the day.
“The storm did come through and started blowing our speakers around; we had to take all of our sound equipment down and then put it back up after the storm had passed,” he said. “Some of our vendors did lose their canopies, it was like straight-line winds. (The wind) was strong enough that it started blowing over our porta potties.”
Janet Swaim, 40, of House Springs said this year’s event was the first time her family attended.
“We have lived in the area for four years, and where we live, we’re not allowed to shoot fireworks off,” she said. “So, we found the (Jefferson County) fairgrounds on Facebook, and we were like, ‘We should go see them there.’”
Swaim said the atmosphere and food were great. She said her favorite part of the evening was watching the fireworks show with her family.
“We will definitely be back,” Swaim said.
Popping the question
The next chapter of a local couple’s love story began during the festivities.
Jenna Heckethorn, of the Festus area and Michael Beran, of Arnold got engaged during the fireworks show.
Heckethorn said the proposal was a surprise and “beyond romantic.” But she said she knew something would happen that evening.
“Whenever he arrived, because we arrived separately, he just had this extra excitement about him, and he just kept telling me how beautiful I looked,” she said.
“She did look beautiful,” Beran said.
He said he did his best to balance keeping the proposal a secret and not raise her suspicions.
“I really only told two people exactly what we were doing, and they did a pretty good job of keeping it secret,” he said.
Beran said he ordered three different ring boxes before finding the one he wanted.
“I knew it was gonna be dark, and I wanted her to get with the shock from the sparkle from the diamonds in the ring, and I found this box shaped like a heart,” he said.
“But when you open it up, there was an ultraviolet light in it that illuminated the ring and made it really shine and sparkle. I wanted it to be something that she would always remember, and when I opened that box, the look on her face was exactly what I was looking for.”
What’s next?
Glass said next year’s celebration is scheduled for July 4, 2027, at the fairgrounds and will feature larger shells.
“This year, we used 4- and 5-inch shells which is still bigger than we had last year or the previous 20 years. Next year, we’ll be up to 5-, 6-, 7-, 8-inch shells in the backfield, so we’re excited about next year coming up.”