The sound of rock music filled the area outside Danville Stadium Saturday night as hundreds of residents came out to the City of Danville and the Village of Tilton’s Independence Day celebration. The evening was marked with the TBT Band playing several favorites, food trucks selling barbecue, kettle corn and shaved ice, and, of course, fireworks.
It took about three weeks for the two cities to organize the celebration. Danville Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. says several people were involved in making it happen.
“We worked with the mayor of Tilton, Mayor Phillips. He and his city council and my village trustees worked with both of our cities. My sister is here visiting for the summer, and she helped coordinate a lot of this. We were able to have a lot of work donw in a little bit of time to make it happen.”
Grassy areas along the north, south and east sides of the stadium provided people a good view of the fireworks, which were launched from left field. Having a large enough area also allowed for social distancing. Williams says he appreciates both the celebration and also the safety factor.
“It feels really great to provide an event where people can enjoy their freedom and yet also be safe. As you’ll see from the lines, we’ve put out cones so people can stay six feet apart when they’re waiting for concessions and restrooms. We have handwashing stations throughout the venue, and we’re also keeping people six feet apart on the grounds, so that way they can come out, enjoy their freedom and listen to music, have great food and watch a fireworks show while also being safe.”
The two cities combined paid around $25,000 for the event. The evening ended with a half-hour aerial fireworks display with attendees watching from outside the stadium.
