At Weingarten’s premier acquisition, The Palms at Town & Country, twelve to fifteen thousand people came out to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day. The parking lots were full, a band was jamming, and the restaurants were at capacity while we all waited for the sun to go down to see the fireworks. Children could enjoy the arts & crafts stations, a balloon artist, glitter tattoos, or the stilt walker making his way through the crowds. Other big hits at this event were the food trucks, shaved ice, and the arepa food vendors. While at the event, you couldn’t miss the nine beautiful display cars from Mercedes Benz of Cutler Bay. The cars displayed ranged from a sporty CLA 250 to a G Wagon to the Sprinter commercial van.

As the sun went down, the crowds grew in anticipation for the firework show. At approximately 9:15 pm the explosive chemicals shot through the air to display robust colors of red, white and blue. The fireworks were displayed to patriotic music as the masses cheered and applauded the 15-minute show. After the fireworks had ended, many started their journey home while others stayed and enjoyed the restaurants, bars and food trucks still serving food and refreshments. Later, as the lines of cars dwindled to leave the shopping center, the planning team was finally able to give each other a pat on the back for producing a spectacular Fourth of July event.

We would like to thank everyone at Weingarten Realtywho helped make this event happen – Meagan Froehlich, Gina Fongyee, Chris Oftedal, Bill Strother, and Katie Wedel. I would also like to acknowledge the vendors who contributed to the event – Comcor Event & Meeting Production, Allied Universal Security, all the off-duty cops, and the Divisions Maintenance.