Local News

Chicago Fireworks Show Drew Massive Crowds

CHICAGO (CBS) ― After a 15-min delay, fireworks were under way tonight in a packed Grant Park as a million or so people from all over the country traveled to Chicago to see the show.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports that a million or so people flocked to the spectacular pyrotechnic show tonight, which was a nightcap after a day of waiting for many of the fireworks faithfuls.

"Pass the pig" came in handy for a group of Palatine teenagers.

"Sounds like a great idea," said Mark Mosias, fireworks spectator. "We'll be at the fireworks sitting for a good amount of time so why not pass the time with some good 'pass the pigs'?"

That's what the third of July is all about for thousands of people: picking a spot, passing the time and taking it all in before the big show.

William Norman and his family came in from Atlanta.

"I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, we drove up after a 12-hour ride, in time for the family reunion, just came down to relax and have some fun," Norman said.

Some proudly displayed their red, white and blue; others like Phyllis Hartt and friends have their gathering down to an art form.

"I've been coming here for 35 years, said Phyllis Hartt, "in the same spot, trying to bring out-of-towners. I especially like people who live in different cities to see how great it is. I mean, this is pretty special, isn't it?"

The head of the fireworks extravaganza said it better be.

"We make yearly buying trips overseas to many different factories throughout the world to bring the city of Chicago the best possible products that we can find," said Bob Kearns, Melrose Pyrotechnics.

That may be one reason people come here from all over the area and all over the country like Tyler Towse and his parents from Oakland, Calif. for his very first show.

"We said we would never come here with kids in a stroller and here we are," said Kim Towse, Tyler's mother.

Earlier in the day, CBS 2's Susan Carlson reported that Chicago police were beefing up patrols to handle the enormous crowds expected. They shut down major sections of downtown traffic for the show.

To beat the crunch, some spectators started staking out areas to watch the fireworks show as early as 7 a.m. They set up fences to mark off their area and camped out all day. For many of the early arriving spectators, it's become a tradition.

The Estradas marked off their territory early this morning, and they brought just about everything but the kitchen sink.

"This is my picnic house," said Efrain Estrada, fireworks spectator. "My 4th of July house. Every year we are here for the last four years. This is our spot. We are here 12-13 hours."

They came prepared with food, utensils, furniture, and even spare clothes.

"We got everything here and then we relax," said Anna Estrada, fireworks spectator. "We take a nap, and then we go around. Just a relaxing day."

And they're not alone. Many of the early arrivers have the same tradition.

"We have a bunch of friends who just come here once a year for this thing," said Brent Riechers, fireworks spectator. "It's like fireworks friends."

In case people try to jump in his space once the show gets going, Riechers put up a fence.

"That's why the fences are up, we used to have a three-foot fence, but the city of Chicago wouldn't allow it," Riechers said. "This is the most we can get away with."

Another fireworks spectator Jennifer Hill said, "The taxi driver thought I was insane because I was carrying a wheel-y suitcase, cooler, all of this fence and three blankets, and all of these decorations. I made it!"

It may seem like a long wait, but for many it's worth it to beat the crowds. The closer it got to show time, the harder it was to find any space.

Tonight's fireworks was not the only display this weekend. Tomorrow, they will have 4th of July fireworks from both Monroe Harbor and Navy Pier at 9:30 p.m.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov and Susan Carlson contributed to this report.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

---