July 3rd Fireworks Show Reunites Friends, Family, Community

June 19, 2022 | Suncoast Post Staff | SRQ Scoop

Independence Day brings together family, friends and fireworks, and the premier fireworks display on the Suncoast brings them together better than ever.

NBP Fireworks On The Lake Driven By Sunset Automotive Group returns for 2022. The in-person celebration July 3 at Nathan Benderson Park will be followed by a one-hour TV special July 4 on WWSB ABC 7.

The park at the heart of the Suncoast will again welcome as many as 25,000 people for food, exhibitors, live music, a Kids Zone, a 4-mile run and more. The event is free to the public, but parking is ticketed.

Family fun on Regatta Island returns with live music. A mix of Motown, country and rock highlights the live entertainment.

Also returning for this year is the Kids Zone, a fun, safe, controlled environment for children to play games and enjoy activities.

Runners and walkers alike will enjoy the annual Publix Fireworks 4-Miler On The Lake, a partnership of the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy and Fit2Run, The Runners Superstore. The race course winds around the park’s Bill Robinson Lakeside Loop.

Typical American fare highlights the food offerings for the evening, from hot dogs to fair food and more.

The Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy’s chief operating officer, Stephen V. Rodriguez, said the event is a time for celebration.

“For the sixth year, we gather the community to celebrate our nation’s independence, and we looking forward to welcoming our region to the park,” he said. “Nathan Benderson Park is at the heart of the Sarasota-Bradenton area, and this family-friendly evening is a wonderful way to reunite with friends and family, enjoy great music and, of course, the region’s premier fireworks show along the beautiful waters where champions are made.”

The presenting sponsor, Sunset Automotive Group, will showcase some of its vehicles — from Cadillacs to Kias, from Porsches and Audis to Chevrolets and Buicks — in places throughout the 600-acre facility.

Sunset Automotive Group’s executive director said the auto retailer is happy to support the Suncoast, echoing the group’s slogan, “Connected Through Community.”

“Sunset Automotive Group is honored to be the presenting sponsor of the 2022 NBP fireworks show,” Andrea Jackson said. “As a family-owned and operated business in Sarasota since 1979, we are happy to be able to give back and show our continued support of our surrounding communities.”

The Suncoast’s leading TV station, ABC 7, will televise the fireworks as the finale of its Independence Day special at 9 p.m. Monday, July 4.

ABC 7 has been the event’s broadcast partner since 2020, when the station and the park’s nonprofit operator, the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy, recognized the need to bring the fireworks to those who couldn’t join the festivities in the park.

The station’s vice president and general manager, Jeff Benninghoff, said the station is pleased yet again to partner with the park.

“We’re happy to continue our partnership with the park for the third straight year,” he said, “to showcase what’s become a Suncoast family tradition. It’s another way that ABC 7 shows its pride in being Your Local Station.”

Gates open at 5 p.m. and music starts at 5:30 p.m. with the sky show just after 9 p.m. The fireworks music will be simulcast on iHeartRadio’s KISS FM (103.9).

Tickets for parking are $30 per car on Regatta Island, and in the park’s south lot, tickets are $20 per car and $50 for recreational vehicles. They’re on sale now HERE.