Lawrence residents came out in droves to watch the annual fireworks show put on by the Lawrence Jaycees.

Organizers held the show at Burcham Park, 2nd and Indiana Streets, and residents filled the park.

Gary Saathoff, Lawrence Jaycees president, said he was told there were about 5,000 people in the park, with even more people in surrounding streets and parking lots.

The show was funded through donations. The City of Lawrence donated $5,000 and Emprise Bank gave the largest donation of $7,000, Saathoff said. The entire event will probably cost $14,000, said Saathoff, but the totals for Monday’s extravaganza have not yet been tallied.

Organizers had about the same budget as last year but decided to put more of the money into the fireworks this year, Saathoff said.

About 500 to 600 shells were used in the show, not including the grand finale that alone had over 1,300 shells. The Jaycees spent $10,000 on the fireworks alone.

The shells were shot off by current and former members of the Jaycees, Saathoff said. More than a dozen current and former members were down in ‘the pit,’ which is the designated firing area for the shells. One ex-member had helped with the show for 35 years, Saathoff said.

Britta Florman, KU alumna and former Jayplay writer, has attended the show for the last three years. She attended because it was the Fourth of July, and it was “tradition to see fire works.”

Lawrence has had a fireworks show, hosted by the Jaycees, for the last 50 years, Saathoff said.

“We have a lot of people who work all year long and if it weren’t for the people we wouldn’t have been around for 65 years,” Saathoff said. “We do it as a way to say thanks to the city and the people in it.”

The show, which began about 9:45 p.m., lasted for about 30 minutes and ended with applause from the crowd.

The finale was the best part of the show, Florman said. The different colors and sparkles were great to watch, she said.