Families from around West Texas joined those across the nation in celebrating America’s 250th birthday with festivities including Lubbock’s 4th on Broadway.
Thousands of families and other area residents gathered at the Panhandle-South Plains Fairgrounds for GECU’s Picnic Under the Stars, along with the Davis Smith’s Gorilla Law-Palooza Evening Concert and H-E-B’s Fireworks Extravaganza as part of Fourth on Broadway.
The event was one of several free celebrations held across Lubbock and the South Plains as communities nationwide marked the nation’s 250th anniversary, offering families live entertainment, food and activities before the evening fireworks display.
Stephanie Moreno Quilimaco, a first-time attendee at 4th on Broadway, said she enjoyed seeing the smiling faces throughout the community despite the hot weather.
“The enthusiasm and all the smiling faces – everybody’s just so happy,” Moreno Quilimaco said. “And it’s hot, and you know, you have reasons to be a little grouchy, but everybody’s very happy.”
Moreno Quilimaco said she was grateful to celebrate the nation’s freedom, especially with family members who have served in the military, making the holiday a reminder to appreciate what they have.
“We’re kind of newer to Lubbock, so just seeing Lubbock put events together and seeing a lot of different types of faces here,” she said. “You got older people, younger people, little kids, and then the fairgrounds have a little bit for everybody.”
Amber Wiebe, a first-time attendee, said she celebrated the nation’s historic milestone last weekend but came to Lubbock to experience the city’s Fourth of July festivities for the first time.
“We wanted to come and see what Lubbock’s Fourth of July is all about,” Weeb said.
Weeb said she was looking forward to exploring everything the event had to offer, along with celebrating freedom with the community.
Sofia Bueno is a 2026 summer reporting intern for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and a journalism student at Texas Tech. Have a news tip? Email the A-J at [email protected].
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.lubbockonline.com ’
