- May 4, 2024
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Ivan Valencia, Torry McKeehan and Phil Swier waited for the show to begin at Bayfront Park.
Selby volunteers Cecily Schneider, Pete Schneider and Debbie Yates ate BBQ during the event.
Shawn and Jacob Stuart partake in the games at the gardens.
Balloon artist Greg Art fashions a piece for Dustin Nguyen as Keila Nguyen looks on.
Amy, Brian, George and Erica Dauphin, along with their relative, resident Wendy Stern, set up at 5 p.m. for the fireworks.
Greg Art puts together a unicorn balloon.
Maya Lenhardt assesses her balloon unicorn.
Greg Art's hat bobbed in the breeze.
Scott and Lisa Owen order BBQ from Michael's on East, who catered the event.
Wade Abercrombie dances to the music at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.
Matt Brittain takes a photo of Max Brittain posing with his balloon hat.
Rose, Louis, Elina and Louie Goncalves enjoyed a night at Selby.
Elina Goncalves waited patiently for her closeup.
Chairs hold fireworks spots while the families revel in the activities at Selby.
Liz and Finnegan Gray prepare to cool down with shaved ice served by Joe McVicker.
Ryan Smith and Shaun Swartz and their bikes waited for the fireworks.
Fireworks over Sarasota Bay delighted revelers.
Red, white and blue fireworks dominated the shows.
The bigger the blast, the bigger the cheer from the crowd.
After the show, patriotic props continued to light up the night.
If you were at all close to Sarasota Bay on July 4, you were enveloped in patriotic celebrations.
The All-American BBQ at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens kicked off at 6 p.m., and the park stayed open until the fireworks shows around the bay lit up the night. Just a short walk away, Bayfront Park packed its gates with revelers who lined every edge of the park with fireworks setups.
Some folks, like the Dauphin and Stern family, staked out a spot at 5 p.m. and were rewarded with a view right on the water. Others strolled around the park and set up a spot later, still getting good views in the gardens.
At Bayfront Park, folks asked each other which way they should turn for the best fireworks view. The answer was everywhere, as fireworks near Selby went off on one side, followed by the downtown Sarasota show on the other side. When the latter show kicked off, bells rang, people cheered, kids ran around and boats honked in a show of loud, infectious celebratory energy.
The show lasted longer than many thought it would, as a pause in the show caused people to begin to disperse. However, they stopped in their tracks when more blasts lit up the bay for a grand finale at Bayfront Park in downtown Sarasota.
