By Allison Peck
Listen to the full interview on our Kubota Podcast
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Organizers say this year's Sandhills Freedom Festival is poised to become the largest and most technologically advanced fireworks display ever produced in North Platte, marking America's 250th birthday with a show designed not only to celebrate the nation's milestone anniversary but to set a new standard for Independence Day celebrations in the community.
The fireworks display is scheduled for 10 p.m. July 4 at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds and will feature approximately 2,700 shells launched during a choreographed, music-synchronized production lasting 15 minutes and seven seconds.
Unlike previous years, this year's show will be electronically fired and precisely timed to a soundtrack listeners can hear by tuning into Mix 97.1 FM.
For members of the North Platte Optimist Club, which has organized the community's public fireworks display for approximately 60 years, the upgraded presentation represents years of hoping to elevate the annual event while navigating increasing costs, changing regulations and evolving safety standards.
"We've been wanting to build it, but just haven't had the means to do that," longtime Optimist Club member Dave Thelan said.
Thelan has been involved in the fireworks displays for more than 30 years and previously served as the pyrotechnician responsible for hand-firing shells during the show. While the displays have long been a community tradition, he said the work behind the scenes has often meant volunteers spend the evening focused on safety and execution rather than enjoying the celebration themselves.
"I've been an Optimist for over 30 years, and I've really never seen the fireworks show," Thelan said.
That changes this year.
By transitioning to an electronic firing system, organizers will be able to monitor the display from approximately 500 feet away, significantly reducing safety risks while allowing volunteers to experience the show alongside attendees.
"This year, I'll finally get to watch it," Thelan said.
Helping bring that vision to life is fellow Optimist Club member Hunter Allen, a family physician with Midlands Physicians and a licensed pyrotechnician.
Allen moved to North Platte last August, making this his first Fourth of July in the community. He said helping shape the city's celebration during America's semiquincentennial felt like an opportunity to share a passion that has grown steadily over the past several years.
While medicine is his profession, fireworks became a meaningful hobby after Allen's father, who frequently organized displays for family gatherings and community events in Texas, died unexpectedly during Allen's first year of medical school. What began as a small fireworks show for classmates eventually grew into annual productions that led him to become a licensed pyrotechnician and invest in professional-grade firing equipment and industry-standard design software.
For North Platte's show, Allen has spent more than 200 hours scripting and programming the display.
Using software commonly utilized by professional fireworks companies, Allen can simulate the show in advance, map launch positions using GPS coordinates and synchronize shells with music down to one-hundredth of a second.
"It's really pulling on people's emotions," Allen said. "You're going to see moments where it's rapid-fire, high-intensity excitement and moments where there's more collective pause and appreciation for our country."
The scale of the display is unprecedented for North Platte.
Allen said this year's production represents a dramatic increase in investment over traditional displays, growing from fireworks budgets traditionally measured in the low thousands of dollars to a significantly larger production designed to celebrate America's 250th birthday and establish a new standard for future celebrations.
Allen said nearly half of the show's 2,700 shells will ignite during the final 45 seconds, creating what he describes as an exclamation point to cap off the celebration.
The show also marks the first time organizers have synchronized fireworks to music.
Attendees at the fairgrounds are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and tune their radios to Mix 97.1 FM to experience the soundtrack as intended. Organizers say spectators throughout the city may also be be able to enjoy the synchronized music while viewing the fireworks from home.
Festivities at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds are expected to begin around 8 p.m., when gates open and vendors begin serving attendees. Organizers said The Ice Cream Coach and Elizabeth's Tacos have committed to spending part of their holiday serving festival-goers ahead of the fireworks display.
Allen said spectators looking for the best experience may want to consider setting up in the fairgrounds parking lot, which he believes will provide one of the best views of both the fireworks and the synchronized soundtrack. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, bring lawn chairs, stay hydrated and tune their radios to Mix 97.1 FM to enjoy the music as the show unfolds.
For Allen and Thelan, however, the goal extends beyond a single anniversary celebration.
"This is the gold standard moving forward for North Platte," Allen said. "I want this to be a destination Fourth of July city. I'm tired of folks saying, 'You've got to go to Seward.' No. You come to 69101, and we're going to show folks a party."
Thelan said the Optimist Club hopes the enhanced display not only honors the nation's 250th birthday but also continues the organization's longstanding mission of promoting patriotism and investing in young people.
Allen shares that hope.
"We're constantly so negative as a people," he said. "I'm hoping this is 15 minutes of us coming together as a community and just saying we're proud to be American and we get to enjoy each other's company and presence."
For organizers, the hope is simple: that families gather together, enjoy good food, share a summer evening with neighbors and watch a celebration worthy of a milestone birthday for the nation — and perhaps the beginning of a new tradition for North Platte.
"We want people to say they should have been there if they missed it," Thelan said. "Because it's going to be a show nobody wants to miss."