- July 15, 2025
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Roller skating sensation Anita Zeman manages to keep smiling, even as her husband Karoly Zeman launches her into the air under the Waterside Place Pavilion July 4 during Star-Spangled Spectacular.
Photo by Jay HeaterThe thousands who attended Star-Spangled Spectacular July 4 at Waterside Place probably would have agreed with the image created during the drone show.
Photo by Jay HeaterParrish's Kay Arens and her 3-year-old daughter Amelia Sulkowski had a little patriotic face painting done at Star-Spangled Spectacular.
Photo by Jay HeaterThe Trio Black Diamond hand balancing act keeps the crowd on the edge of its seat during Star-Spangled Spectacular.
Photo by Jay HeaterClown Juan Carlos Valencia enlisted some help during his performance at Star-Spangled Spectacular at Waterside Place July 4.
Photo by Jay HeaterSpeed juggler Nilson Escoba of the Circus Arts Conservatory performs at Star-Spangled Spectacular July 4 at Waterside Place.
Photo by Jay HeaterLakewood Ranch 4-year-old Collette Harris was bouncing off the walls of an inflatable at Star-Spangled Spectacular.
Photo by Jay HeaterStar Newman introduced the crowd to her brand of magic and mentalism in a show during Star-Spangled Spectacular at Waterside Place July 4.
Photo by Jay HeaterRoller skating dynamos Anita and Karoly Zeman obviously have the utmost trust in each other as they perform at Waterside Place July 4.
Photo by Jay HeaterThe Trio Black Diamond hand balancing act thrills the crowd at Waterside Place during the Star-Spangled Spectacular July 4.
Photo by Jay HeaterWith thousands of people showing up to the Star-Spangled Spectacular July 4, the crowd was packed into every available space in front of the pavilion.
Photo by Jay HeaterSpeed juggler Nilson Escobar obviously enjoys his work in front of hundreds of people who jammed around the Waterside Place Pavilion.
Photo by Jay HeaterLakewood Ranch Communities' Grace Flowers, Nicole Hackel and Taylor Riffle led the effort to present Star-Spangled Spectacular to the community July 4 at Waterside Place.
Photo by Jay HeaterSteven Lombardo of Fritzy Brothers One Man Circus, was having a ball juggling and entertaining kids at the Star-Spangled Spectacular.
Photo by Jay HeaterLakewood Ranch Communities brought in plenty of carnival games and inflatables for Star-Spangled Spectacular to entertain the kids, and some parents, too.
Photo by Jay HeaterIf your cow was No. 7 in the carnival game at the Star Spangled Spectacular, you won a prize.
Photo by Jay HeaterClown Juan Carlos Valencia obviously is very serious about making people laugh at Star-Spangled Spectacular at Waterside Place July 4.
Photo by Jay HeaterMaster of Ceremonies Jared Walker opens the Circus Arts Conservatory show at Star-Spangled Spectacular July 4 at Waterside Place.
Photo by Jay HeaterSarasota 10-year-old Libby Bates couldn't get all the way up the twisty ladder at Star-Spangled Spectacular, but she still came up smiling.
Photo by Jay HeaterUniversity Park's John Blackwell gives his 3-year-old son Jack a little help throwing the ax in a carnival game at Star-Spangled Spectacular.
Photo by Jay HeaterPedro Reis, the founder of the Circus Arts Conservatory, which was featured at Star-Spangled Spectacular at Waterside Place, checks the equipment before the show.
Photo by Jay HeaterThe lake side at Waterside Place was absolutely packed for the drone show July 4.
Photo by Jay HeaterStar-Spangled Spectacular didn't have any live bands, but there was this guitar.
Photo by Jay HeaterDrones create a flag over Waterside Place during Star-Spangled Spectacular.
Photo by Jay HeaterSian España shows his ability with a type of giant Yo-Yo during Star-Spangled Spectacular.
Photo by Jay HeaterGettel Toyota's Joe Rodriguez, a sales rep, and Rocky Santa Cruz, the general manager, were loving the Star-Spangled Spectacular, which their company sponsored.
Photo by Jay HeaterGabbie Taylor, the nursing manager at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center's ER at Fruitville, was handing out beach balls at Star-Spangled Spectacular.
Photo by Jay HeaterLakewood Ranch's Milana Nanna, 14, takes a shot at ringing the bell in the one of the carnival games at Star-Spangled Spectacular July 4 at Waterside Place.
Photo by Jay HeaterLakewood Ranch's Lezirie DeJesus was having a little fun at Star-Spangled Spectacular with the Statue of Liberty and Uncle Sam.
Photo by Jay HeaterKensington Carter and Cary-Lee Carter just moved to Esplanade Azario from Canada and they were feeling very patriotic on July 4.
Photo by Jay HeaterIt was 5 p.m. on July 4 and the parking lots were empty at Waterside Place.
That was a somewhat anxious moment for Lakewood Ranch Communities' Grace Flowers, Nicole Hackel and Taylor Riffle, who had worked so hard to present the first Star-Spangled Spectacular at Waterside Place.
Then the floodgates opened, at least in terms of people.
Over the next 60 minutes, Waterside Place was filled to capacity, families navigating through the masses to enjoy the food, festivities and fun that Lakewood Ranch's first July 4 festival provided.
Lakewood Ranch's Steve Harris commented on what many of those in attendance had to be thinking. Watching his 4-year-old daughter Collette play in a bounce house, he said he had taken his family to Anna Maria Island the last two years looking for a family-friendly event, but things were rained out both times. He was thrilled to have something like Star-Spangled Spectacular right in his backyard from now on.
The Circus Arts Conservatory provided a thrilling performance toward the end of the event, which was capped by a drone show.
Hackel, who said she had never seen so many people in Waterside Place, estimated the crowd to be more than 4,000 people, although she didn't expect the actual count for about a week.
