MOSES LAKE — People started claiming good spots to watch fireworks long before noon, leaving chairs on the sidewalk along Division Street and cars parked along the curb.

And by 9 p.m. on July 4, the fireworks show was on in neighborhoods all over town.

The sky was filled with displays of red and green, white, blue, silver, almost every color, the colors and sparks accompanied by the sound of explosions. Fireworks shot up and exploded in pinwheels and rings, and went off in a series of pops. Winds on July 4 were very light, and the smoke hung in the sky as the next one went off.

And that was at least an hour before the show sponsored by the Moses Lake Freedom Festival.

That’s why all the chairs were strung out along the Division Street sidewalk. The section just past its intersection with Nelson Road is a popular spot to watch fireworks.

A good viewing spot was particularly in demand after McCosh Park was closed to crowds as part of the effort to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

Jesse Mancuso brought his wife and three daughters down to Nelson and Division to watch the show. While the Freedom Festival show didn’t start until about 10 p.m., by 9 p.m. fireworks were filling the sky all around the neighborhood, to the visible delight of his daughters.

Bryan Krogstie had a whole backseat full of fireworks, and volunteered to light a few for Jesse’s kids. “Thank you, man, my daughters appreciate it,” Jesse told Bryan.

His girls did appreciate it. “Do it again,” the girls shouted.

When the Sand Scorpions opened their fireworks stand June 28, organizer Rich Archer said he expected business to be brisk in 2020. Apparently he was right. “I tried to buy some, but I couldn’t find any,” Jesse said.

Bryan was one of the first customers at the Sand Scorpions stand this year, he said, and he purchased a lot of fireworks. He estimated he spent about $1,500.

“Honestly, it is really fun, I’m not going to lie,” Bryan said. “You just get a thrill out of seeing things explode in the sky.”

He had conserved his stash, planning to light all of them on July 4.

Every year there are impromptu firework shows in neighborhoods all around town, many of them visible from the top of Division Street. Fireworks kept going off all around Moses Lake even as the Freedom Festival show started.

The display lasted about 20 minutes and finished to applause and cheers from the crowd lined up along the street.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].