Lafayette Chamber’s event draws thousands

Saturday brought the local community outside for an evening of fireworks and fellowship during the Lafayette Chamber’s annual Independence Day celebration at Waneka Lake Park.

The park at 1600 Caria Drive was open from 4 to 10 p.m. for the free event, which culminated in a fireworks display launched near the lake. Lafayette Chamber Executive Director Vicki Trumbo said the event staff estimated an attendance of 5,000 people from the festival’s start to finish.

This is the eighth year the chamber has put on the “Fun and Fireworks” festival, all of which have been held at Waneka Lake. Trumbo said the event’s history stretches back much further as a tradition for the city, however, and was brought back by the chamber several years ago in response to Lafayette residents seeking a local fireworks show.

“When we decided to bring it back, people were really happy, because they were going to other towns,” Trumbo said. “They (had) said, ‘We should be able to have our own celebration.’”

Nearby cities are exploring alternative kinds of Fourth of July displays, like Boulder’s upcoming drone show at Folsom Field. Lafayette, however, stuck to a traditional, roughly 20-minute fireworks show for spectators.

“We kind of keep it the same because people like the simplicity, and it makes it easy to re-create something every year that people like,” she said.

Hours before the fireworks show even began, a large crowd dressed in reds, whites and blues could already be seen at the park enjoying the festivities. Guests sat on picnic blankets as they listened to live music from the park stage

While many younger visitors made use of the park’s large playground, kids were also treated to face painting, a climbing wall and bounce houses. The boathouse was closed, but families were still able to visit the shores of Waneka Lake and watch the reflections of fireworks in the water.

Lafayette Chamber board member Richard Welty, a longtime volunteer for the Fun and Fireworks event, Welty said he’s seen some guests even claim spots at the park the night before the festival for optimal viewing of the fireworks show.

“We can do it over a lake, and we have our fire department completely involved from day one,” Welty said. “We just try to make it as safe as possible, and people seem to really enjoy it.”

Around a dozen booths representing local partners and sponsors filled the park Saturday alongside food trucks and lemonade stands. The night’s fireworks show was made possible by the contributions of the event’s sponsors and by donations from individuals.

“We are very community-based,” said Timothy Giarratano with Jax Farm and Ranch, one of the presenting band sponsors. “Anything we can do to give back to the community and get people out having fun; that’s what we’re about.”