Residents of Dowagiac, southwest Michigan and beyond are invited to Russom Park to start their Fourth of July weekends with a bang Friday evening.

The Young Professionals of Greater Dowagiac will host its fourth annual Fourth of July fireworks show at dusk that night at the Dowagiac park grounds, at 28776 Yaw St. Attendees are invited to bring lawn chairs and blankets with them to the free display.

Free parking will be available at the parking lots of the park, as well as at Dowagiac Union High School, the Dowagiac armory and the former AYSO soccer fields located across from the high school on Paul Street. Members of the Dowagiac service organization will help guide visitors to available parking spaces, and will also sell glow wands and necklaces, and collect donations for future fireworks shows.

In the event of rain, the display will be moved to the following evening. The Young Professionals will announce Friday afternoon whether or not the show will take place as scheduled on its Facebook page, facebook.com/YPDowagiac.

The Young Professionals, a local service organization dedicated toward improving the community, resurrected the Dowagiac fireworks show in 2014 and has kept it going ever since. The display typically draws more than 1,000 people — from Dowagiac as well as neighboring communities such as Cassopolis and Niles — out to the park.

Once again handling the display is Dowagiac’s Kirk Proshwitz, who will offer his services pro bono. Proshwitz will fire off the pyrotechnics from the grounds of the Dowagiac Municipal Airport, located nearby the park.

Members of the Young Professionals have spent the last several weeks raising money for the fireworks themselves, as well as to cover insurance and other costs associated with the show, which have risen in comparison to previous years. However, local businesses and individuals stepped up to cover the larger bill, donating more than $6,000 to the show, with nine businesses donating $500 or more.

“We are thankful for the outpouring of support,” said Jeremy Truitt, president of the Young Professionals. “We did not want to put on a lesser show this year. We always aim to make it better each year, not worse. We would not have been able to do so without the support of the community.”

Around 15 to 20 people are expected to volunteer for the display, assisted by members of the Dowagiac police and fire departments, Truitt said. The members will meet around 7 p.m. Friday at the fire station to assign duties before the display. People interested in meeting the club or volunteering are invited to attend.

“We want to encourage as many people as possible to come out and watch a great show,” Truitt said. “It should be a fun way to start off the Fourth of July holiday.”

 

SHOW DETAILS

WHEN: At dusk on Friday, June 30

WHERE: Russom Park, 28776 Yaw St., Dowagiac

INFO: The Young Professionals of Dowagiac Facebook page