Americans all across the country will celebrate the nation's 233rd birthday this Saturday, marking Independence Day with parades, backyard cookouts and — of course — fireworks displays.
In Maryville, KNIM and the city of Maryville will host a Fourth of July celebration at Mozingo Lake. A fireworks show with more than $10,000 worth of free fireworks is planned to fill the sky shortly after nightfall. People are invited to bring their lawn chairs and arrive early to get a good spot.
The festivities at the lake will begin Saturday morning with the Optimist Club of Maryville's Annual Fishing Contest. The event is free and prizes will be awarded to two age groups: ages 1-9 years and 10-15 years. Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the City Boat Ramp Shelter and fishing begins at 9:15 a.m. Participants must bring their own fishing gear, but worms will be provided.
And later that evening, Maryville Elks Lodge 760 will serve hamburgers, hot dogs and soft drinks to visitors at the lake, starting at around 5 p.m.
In town, residents will be able to shoot off fireworks on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Maryville Public Safety Director Keith Wood said. Fireworks are not allowed to be shot on any other day within city limits. Fireworks that may be discharged include all class "C" fireworks with the exception of bottle rockets. There are also some important safety tips to consider, Wood said.
"Adult supervision with children. You get rather complacent with children and thinking they're going to be OK," Wood said. "The adults definitely need to be there supervising, watching over, making sure everything is OK."
Other good safety tips to follow are having a water supply on hand to put out small fires, wearing tight-fitting clothing to avoid being set afire by sparks — particularly those from sparklers, and staying a safe distance from others shooting fireworks, Wood said.
People are also reminded to respect their neighbors and to pick up any debris left over from discharged fireworks.
The Missouri State Fire Marshall also urges fireworks safety with Fourth of July related activities and presented the latest national and state figures in a press release last week:
An estimated 9,800 people were treated for fireworks related injuries at U.S. hospital emergency rooms in 2007; 36 percent of emergency room fireworks-related injuries were to the head and 56 percent were to the extremities.
