Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Station Casinos puts on a show – five of them

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Did you watch a fireworks display Sunday night?

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Map of Red Rock Casino Resort Spa

Red Rock Casino Resort Spa

11011 W. Charleston, Las Vegas

Red, white and blue stars burst above Red Rock Resort, John Mellencamp's "Small Town" rang from the speakers and the crowd greeted this year's Fourth of July Blast with enthusiastic cheers Sunday night.

Spectators congregated in the resort’s amphitheatre, the pool area and the parking garage roof to observe the fireworks show, which was coordinated with four other Station Casinos properties to celebrate the nation’s birthday. The first firework launched at 9 p.m. and the production lasted about nine minutes.

Radio station 96.3 KKLZ provided the soundtrack as songs shifted from those of Toby Keith and the Black Eyed Peas to “Viva Las Vegas.” Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” capped the night with applause and whistles. Station also hosted fireworks displays at Aliante Station, Fiesta Rancho, Green Valley Ranch and Texas Station.

Lawn chairs and blankets dotted Red Rock’s viewing area. Beach volleyballs bounced through the crowd as hundreds of people gathered to find the right spot. Children were hoisted onto shoulders and cameras were pulled from pockets when the sky lit up.

The fellowship allowed some in the audience to reflect on what the holiday meant to them. Alex Fields, 13, traveled from Idaho to spend the Fourth of July with her mother, Julie Hopkins.

"You get to be with family and friends," she said. The family spent the afternoon exploring the Strip before heading to Red Rock for the show.

Hopkins, who credited the resort’s staff with fostering a family-friendly atmosphere that brought her back this year, said the fireworks recalled Independence Days from her youth.

"It reminds us to be grateful for where we live," she said.

A barrage of green, orange, red and blue spheres consumed the sky. A pair of smiley faces even shone down on the crowd at one point. The show required 17 pyrotechnicians, 700 man-hours and nine miles of wire to prepare.

Mark Paxton brought his 1-year-old son, Otto, for his first fireworks show. He worried at first that all of the stimuli might be a bit much for the boy.

“He loved it,” Mark said with relief as he bounced Otto to the Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” while the crowd filed out of the amphitheater.

Earlier in the day, Bonnie and Sandy Feibusch set off some fireworks of their own to start the holiday, and then caught “The Last Airbender” at Red Rock’s Regal Theatres to escape the sun. Sandy flashed a deck of cards that kept the couple busy until the fireworks began. It was their first time enjoying the display at Red Rock.

They readily agreed on their favorite part of the holiday.

“Fireworks,” they said in unison.

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