City of Lawrence fireworks show set for Monday at Douglas County Fairgrounds

Jun 15, 2023

With food trucks, live music and a fireworks display, the city’s first annual Summerfest is coming in with a bang.

The City of Lawrence will be hosting the free community celebration beginning at 4 p.m. Monday, July 3 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St., according to the city’s website.

The event will kick off with food trucks and beverage sales, followed by live music from five bands, according to the website: VCMN, The Matchsellers, Page 7, The Whips and Maria the Mexican. Performances will start on the hour each hour from 4 to 8 p.m.

Some local pet lovers are concerned that the city’s upcoming fireworks display will be popping, fizzing and ka-booming too close to the Lawrence Humane Society.

Concessions onsite will include the Bap Stop, Free State Brewery, MHK Caravan, the Lemonade Stand and more.

The night will close with a fireworks display by the Lawrence Jaycees, beginning at 9:45 p.m.

“This year’s fireworks show was moved from the Shenk Recreational Sports Complex on the University of Kansas campus due to nearby construction, as the site no longer provides the necessary space to launch safely,” according to a city news release.

Here’s a map of where the festivities take place and where the fireworks will be launched:

An arts and crafts show, which was previously planned to be held at the event, was canceled because of an insufficient number of vendors, according to the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Facebook page.

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Both the Lawrence City Commission and Lawrence school board primary races showed east-west splits when looking at which candidates came in first at each polling place.

The Back to School Safety Fair returned Saturday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Local first responders, emergency preparedness pros, volunteers and more were on hand to quiz attendees on safety knowledge, offer tips and even fit kids with free helmets.

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