Tempe Fourth celebration sets record

Attendance at the Tempe Town Lake July 4th festival hit record numbers Friday.

The annual festival, hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Tempe, had between 50,000 and 55,000 in attendance for the festival and fireworks display, up from 40,000-45,000.

Event coordinator Judy Yates said the show was helped by cancellations of festivals and displays in other parts of the area because of storms.

"So many shows were either canceled or out of the picture . . . we were just one of the featured shows," Yates said.

Phoenix's celebration at Steele Indian School Park canceled the end of its show and Goodyear canceled its entire fireworks display due to strong winds. Glendale fireworks went off after a 10-minute delay.

Yates said that fire department officials were watching storms closely. A lightning strike within five miles of the fireworks would have canceled the show.

"We were strategizing every half hour back stage," Yates said.

Additionally, Yates said that winds, although a problem in the rest of the area, died down enough for the show to go off without a hitch.

"We just got lucky," Yates said.

The event was the 57th annual Kiwanis Fourth of July event and the ninth year at the Tempe Town Lake. Yates said that officials expect to raise between $80,000 and $90,000 for charity, which will be donated to Tempe-area charities to help children.