For generations, the Lakeside Community Fireworks Show has united family and friends, locals and visitors underneath a dazzling, multicolored display of patriotism commemorating the founding of the United States, which this year celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Each summer, $25,000 worth of fireworks are launched from a barge in Flathead Lake off the shore of Volunteer Park in downtown Lakeside, according to Lakeside Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ali Coleman. The roughly 20-minute show is coordinated by a professional pyrotechnic and set to music broadcast on Montana Public Radio at 89.9 FM.  

“It's one of those events that you'll see generations of families and neighbors and visitors all sharing that same experience,” Coleman said. “It's about celebrating community and creating memories that people look forward to year after year.” 

Coleman said the show is entirely community funded. While the Chamber is responsible for organizing the event, it does not generate revenue, with all donations going toward the firework display.  

“We have donations from $25 to $1,000, and anyone can contribute,” Coleman explained. “It's a lot of generous businesses and families: it always seems to be the same repeat people that really make this truly happen.” 

Coleman emphasized that without community support and donations, the annual tradition would not take place. Last year was a particularly tough year for fundraising, and the Chamber is currently a little under halfway to hitting their year’s $25,000 target.  

Since the fireworks are launched from a barge in Flathead Lake, there are no bad seats. The show can be enjoyed from a boat, at one of the businesses along U.S. 93, or from the lakeshore at Volunteer Park.  

This year, the show has been moved up 30 minutes earlier and will tart at 10:30 p.m. Coleman said people frequently wish the show started earlier, especially families with young children, but the long Montana summer days make it impossible to move the show up any earlier in the evening. With $25,000 worth of fireworks donated by the community, the Chamber wants to ensure the best quality show that will be enjoyed by all.  

While Lakeside’s fireworks show won’t be specifically themed for the 250th anniversary, it carries a legacy that was envisioned at the nation’s founding by John Adams. 

In a letter to his wife dated July 3, 1776, Adams wrote that celebrations of America’s independence should be marked by “Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” 

Just a year later, the Pennsylvania Evening Post reported that in Philadelphia, even as the Revolutionary War was still being fought, that patriotic citizens joyously celebrated the young nation’s first birthday with “a grand exhibition of fireworks (which began and concluded with 13 rockets) on the Commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated.” 

Now, 250 years later, Lakeside’s residents continue that tradition, banding together to see their small community on the shores of Flathead Lake once again illuminated by busts of fireworks.  

To donate to the Lakeside Community Fireworks show, visit lakesidesomers.org/fireworks.

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.