GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) -- Fireworks will light the sky once again this weekend.
"In 2019, it was a great year," Festival Foods Community Involvement Specialist Nina Winistorfer said.
But in 2020, Independence Day in a pandemic looked a lot different.
"Last year, the Fourth of July kind of ceased to exist," On Broadway, Inc. Director of Special Events Allie Thut said.
In Green Bay, Thut didn't get to attend one of the area's largest July 4 events.
"There weren't any firework shows due to the COVID restrictions and not wanting people to gather at all," she said.
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But this weekend, the boom is back. As an organizer, Thut says Green Bay will host smaller-scale Fourth of July festivities on Sunday.
"This year, we're super excited to be able to -- not have the whole big event back this year -- but to still be able to throw something," Thut said.
Festival Foods is providing fireworks for 25 shows across the state, including the Fox Valley.
🎆 Fourth of July is almost here! Make plans to see one of our amazing fireworks displays. Dates and locations of shows happening across Wisconsin are online at https://t.co/b3FidHfQHG pic.twitter.com/dZUjkOK0u9
— Festival Foods (@festfoods) July 2, 2021
"We are coming back strong, " Winistorfer said. "So the attendance I'm very confident will be soaring through the roof. So I'm very excited for that."
But due to the coronavirus, in cities like Green Bay, Manitowoc and Oshkosh, Winistorfer says events won't be as long and there might not be as many food tents.
"We've definitely trimmed that down a bit just to make sure we're being cautious of those who are going to be coming out," she said.
Some organized Fourth of July functions will be small, but Thut says at least the sparks will fly in downtown Green Bay once again.
"[We will] have the firework show," Thut said. "You know it's not the Fourth of July without those fireworks."
