A spectacle in the sky to celebrate the Fourth of July in Rockford

July 5, 2022 at 1:11 am Kevin Haas

Fireworks burst with color over the Rock River in downtown Rockford to cap off the celebrations of the Fourth of July in 2022. (Photo by Hans Rupert/Special to the Rock River Current)

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ROCKFORD — Eyes turned toward the sky across the city on Monday for the annual Fourth of July fireworks show.

The 30-minute spectacle synchronized to music is put on by the nonprofit Rockford Fourth of July Committee, which pays for the festivities without the use of any taxpayer dollars.

The pyrotechnic show costs about $65,000, but the total pricetag when including insurance, permits and other costs is about $25,000 more. All of that is paid for through sponsorship and donations. You can donate HERE.

“It’s a community event for the community by the community,” Ted O’Donnell, co-chair of the committee, said on This Week in the Stateline. “If the community wants to not have such a big show we can tell that through the donation levels over the years.”

In the This Week in the Stateline interview before the fireworks show, O’Donnell said people come to watch the fireworks from across the city and from places around the country. They fill city streets, bridges, parks and boats on the Rock River.

“We’ve always tried to make it a family oriented, family traditional event in Rockford,” O’Donnell said. “We have people coming from all over the country still … we love hearing your stories, or that you’ve been coming to Rockford for so many years.”