As Bristow’s 5th Annual Sam Varner Memorial Fireworks Celebration finally arrived Saturday evening around Lake Massena, Bristowans, Creek County residents, and visitors from adjacent counties descended upon the park for pre-firework festivities and food.
City officials closed off the southwest side of the lake Saturday morning in preparation for the fireworks show. While the golf course remained open, visitors were required to access the course via 12th Avenue.
Food vendors, stationed on the softball field, opened for business at 6 p.m., offering delicious goodies for everyone. Vendors included Mamacitas, Beach House Meats, LLC, M & J’s Pitstop, Sour Sno-Balls and More, Raven Rock Pizza, Regina’s Hometown Sweets, Calep Yingst, VFW Auxiliary, and Boston’s Drink Stand.
The Pirate Plunge remained open until 9:30 p.m. to the delight of all swimmers, seeking a great place to cool off and have fun. Patrons enjoyed the pool’s late hours prior to the firework extravaganza.
Children and adults were seen playing catch and tossing glow sticks into the air in anticipation of the main event. Like last year, a drone buzzed above the gathered masses. Fireworks burst into the night sky just before 10 p.m. with attendees clapping and whistling as the show began.
Catching most spectators off guard, however, officials launched the fireworks from a new location this year, leaving many would-be spectators to the west of the cemetery and southeast corner of the lake unable to observe the full beauty of the show. Still, most attendees along the eastern and northern lakeside areas proclaimed the new launch location as significantly better than in years past.
In fact, many attendees described the show as Bristow’s “best ever” and hope the event continues to grow. Annual Sam Varner Memorial Fireworks Celebrations are coordinated by the Bristow Police Department and funded entirely by the generosity of private donations.
On Monday, Bristow Police Department thanked “all the folks who donated to make the Sam Varner Memorial Fireworks Celebration a success.”