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Lisbon holds first July 4 fireworks show in 40+ years

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It was a long time coming: an Independence Day fireworks show kicking off the holiday weekend in Lisbon for the first time in several decades. 

“I want people to see that communities can pull together and do something amazing, and that's what we've done,” said Judy Noel, chairperson of the Lisbon Fireworks Committee. 

The event took place at the Columbiana County fairgrounds Thursday evening, from 4 p.m. until dusk. Families at the fairgrounds enjoyed festival food, live music, inflatables and a cornhole tournament while they waited for the sun to set and the fireworks to begin. 

Frankie Fordeley of the Frankie Fordeley Band, the night’s headline act, said he felt “really blessed” to be a part of the celebrations.

“It's such a warm, and… I just can't explain the feeling,” said Fordeley. “It's just awesome.”

Noel said the effort to revive Lisbon’s July 4th fireworks show started last year, but really took off in February, when the committee officially formed. From there, the committee set out coordinating with vendors and seeking donations from the community to fund the event. 

The fireworks committee originally set a fundraising goal of $15,500 — only to raise nearly $24,000. 

“We were probably about $4,000 shy of our goal, and Sandy &Beaver Insurance Company, their breakfast club, sponsored a breakfast fundraiser and raised $8,000 for us,” Noel said. “So that just threw us over the top.”

With that money, Noel said the committee was able to add more fireworks to the show. It also saved some of the extra funds, planning to put them towards next year’s celebration — America's 250th birthday. Noel said the group is also seeking 501(c)(3) status to help with getting more donations and grants. 

“This doesn't say ‘first annual’ for no reason,” Noel said, pointing to her T-shirt. “We plan on doing this every year, as long as we get the support that we did this year.”


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