SAUGET, Ill. —
Although many public firework displays have been canceled this year due to COVID-19, there are still options available across the St. Louis region.
The Gateway Grizzlies baseball season was canceled at the beginning of the pandemic, but their annual Fourth of July firework display at the GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois, includes a bigger fireworks display than ever.
The organization partnered with a local fireworks company and received larger fireworks than in the past after other events were canceled.
More than 400 tickets were sold as of Friday morning for the first of two shows that evening.
The Grizzlies can legally fit around 1,000 cars in different lots around the ballpark.
Gateway Grizzlies director of group sales and business development Brady Huber said although many cars will be allowed in each lot, there will still be enough space for people to safely get out of their cars if they choose to do so.
“Out in the parking lot, we’re gonna be socially-distant in the fact that we’re gonna have 15 feet between parking spots,” Huber said. “So, everyone will be able to sit on the right side of their car near nobody else. So, cars will be barriers essentially. But, we’re still going to allow people, if they come in together in families, to congregate and just tailgate.”
People have purchased tickets ranging from $30 to $150 per car.
The price of a ticket varies based on parking lot location, view, and space.
The higher-priced tickets in the gold lot sold the quickest, and include more grass space around the designated parking spot for families to get outside of their vehicle to tailgate while social distancing.
Huber said the setup was planned in coordination with local, state, and CDC guidelines.
“Hand sanitizer in all of our portable restrooms,” Huber said. “Hand sanitizer by our, we’re gonna have pop-up bars. So, we’re just gonna try to keep everyone as safe as we possibly can. And we’re gonna ask our fans to monitor themselves, because at the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to.”
The Grizzlies will also host a series of youth baseball games over the holiday weekend in which teams can pay to play, including a Sandlot Series with local teams.
Larger events such as these, give the Grizzlies new ways to generate income after having to cancel their season.
“We couldn’t do it without having all these extra events,” Huber said. “We’ve been lucky to be staying employed through all this. I know a lot of people in the sports industry have been hit hard by this, and we feel for them. But, our management group and our ownership group, we’ve been lucky to have them by putting on these extra events.”
Those interested in attending the display on Friday or Saturday evening can do so by buying tickets at the drive-in entrance.
The cost in person is $40 per car, and most people will receive a parking spot in the white lot until full.
Gates open at 1 p.m, live music begins around 7 p.m, and firework displays begin around 9:45 p.m.
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