Light show draws 10,000
Granbury Chamber of Commerce officials are reporting near 10,000 on the square Wednesday for the grand finale of the multi-day Fourth of July celebration.
While thousands gathered on the square for music and a laser light show, other folks were seen in lawn chairs at the Kroger parking lot and at City Boat Ramp. Clearly, some people missed the memo: The fireworks show was Sunday night — not July 4.
As the crowd gathered on the square Wednesday evening, some joked that rock band Pink Floyd would be appearing for the laser light show. Those remarks were hushed once the show was under way with multicolored projections on the side of the courthouse building.
More than once during the light show, the crowd was singing along with songs from Brooks and Dunn, Neil Diamond, Toby Keith and others. The laser projector blasted colorful light beams telling the story of each song.
A few tears were shed when the emotional crowd stood for the final song, “God Bless the USA,” by Lee Greenwood. Many were singing along.
Prior to the light show, a variety of live music drew many to the square.
Brady Hulsey and Ben McPherson from the Brady Hulsey Band of Glen Rose played two hours, and the Pearl Street Dixieland Band played for an hour-and-a-half.
Texas music artist Tommy Alverson drew a nice crowd for his acoustic set from 8-9 p.m.
The Granbury High School Band played a variety of Americana music from 9-9:30 prior to the national anthem.
Abigail Garcia, 11, received a standing ovation for her rendition of the national anthem. She was selected to sing from 15 contestants in a social media contest by the city of Granbury.
There were long lines for snow cones, beer, hot dogs, and other goodies as local vendors provided food and drinks on the square. “Joe’s Pizza and Pasta completely sold out of food at their vendor booth,” according to chamber spokeswoman Sondra Walton. “The H-E-B Kids Zone was really popular as children received free face paintings. Children were running around with glow-sticks, playing on the courthouse lawn. It was a huge success, and the weather was perfect.”
The city’s marketing and communications director, Shanna Smith-Snyder, said that many hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts were 100 percent filled during the event.
The visitors center reported over 700 tourists inquired about event details and picked up schedules over the six-day festival.
Andrew Barrus with the Granbury Theatre Company reported 97 percent capacity for the show “1776” over the three-week period. Over 1,300 attended — 28 percent from Granbury, 41 percent from Pecan and deCordova, and 31 percent were believed to be tourists.
dschneider@hcnews.com|817-573-7066, ext. 255
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