LaGRANGE — Troup County Parks and Recreation hosts its 35th annual Independence Day Celebration on July 4 at Pyne Road Park.

The event will feature food vendors, a children’s play area, live music and one of the largest fireworks show in the Troup County area.

“It’s going to be an all-day event with plenty of fun and excitement for people of all ages,” said Don Howell, parks and recreation director. “We’ve got a new sponsor this year, so we’re looking forward to making this celebration bigger and better than it has been in years past.”

The celebration begins at 1 p.m. and will feature a variety of food and refreshments from vendors, as well as souvenirs. There will be a special children’s play area with rides and other attractions. The event will also include live music from Mr. Terrific, a local rock and country band, before and after the fireworks show.

“Everybody always looks forward to the fireworks show,” said Howell. “The people of Troup County have the unique opportunity to watch the show from the grass at Pyne Road Park, or they can come watch it from the water on their boats.”

The celebration is sponsored by Kid’s Zone Dentistry in LaGrange.

“When I heard that Troup County Parks and Recreation was looking for a sponsor for this year’s celebration, I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to help out and give back to my community,” said Dr. Chuck Pitts, owner of Kid’s Zone Dentistry.

This year’s fireworks show will be organized by Pyrotecnico, which is described as one of the largest and oldest professional fireworks company in the country. Mary Killingsworth, marketing director for Pyrotecnico, said that there is much more work that goes into putting together a fireworks show than just lighting fuses.

“There are many variables we have to take into consideration when designing a fireworks display,” said Killingsworth. “The location of the firing site is one of the most important variables because it enables us to see what type and size of fireworks shells may be featured.”

When possible, we like to ‘layer’ the sky. Layering is created by using different size shells that will burst in the air at various altitudes.”

Pyne Road Park will open at 9 a.m. and there will be a $10 per vehicle admission fee for the event. The fireworks show will begin around 9 p.m., depending on weather conditions, and will be followed by another performance by Mr. Terrific.

“We hope to have a lot of people come out to join in the festivities,” said Pitts. “In light of recent tragedies, like the one in Charleston (South Carolina, where a shooter killed nine people in a church), there’s never been a more important time for us to come together and join one another in celebrating our freedom.”