Visitors line up for miles to watch the Ellerbe Lions Club fireworks show

As last Thursday’s only major firework show in Richmond County, the Ellerbe Lions Club July Fourth Jamboree Fireworks Show had visitors lined up for miles to see the spectacle.

With visitors lined up for miles along Millstone Road, the Ellerbe Lions Club provided a 21-minute firework display with visitors coming from surrounding states just to watch.

“It’s very humbling. I just wish we could get everybody inside the gates. We depend on the revenue from everybody inside the gates to pay for the fireworks. We’re just glad we can provide something to the community that the community enjoys and brings everybody together,” said Kimberly Arnette, president of the Ellerbe Lions Club. “I’ve seen license plates come in from Virginia, Alaska, New Jersey, South Carolina … I’m just wondering how these people found out about our little event we have here? These people parked beside our tent here, there were three cars that came in from Virginia. I don’t know if they’re new transplants to the area or they just saw it on Facebook.”

Arnette said word of mouth may have played a factor in the event’s success considering it has been going for more than 50 years. Arnette said she knows it is at least 56 because she remembers attending since she was a little girl.

“We remember it. We were running around here in diapers. It has grown. We used to have a parade to start off, and then we had a horse show around in the ring up there. We would have kids’ games and ole-timey family fun-type games, then fireworks in the evening. The fireworks used to be shot off of the dam on the pond, but that was before a lot of ordinances came into play,” Arnette said.

With Richmond County listed as in abnormal drought condition, Arnette thanked the Ellerbe Fire Department for their assistance in making the event possible. Thanks to investing their free time in obtaining pyrotechnic training, they were able to save the Lions Club the cost of having to go with a third-party contractor to facilitate the show.

“We’re so grateful to have our fire department,” Arnette said.

The proceeds raised Thursday night went entirely into funding purchasing the fireworks for the show, but Arnette hopes to grow it more in the future. Arnette said events like the Ellerbe Lions Club Jamboree are important because they raise awareness of the organization and its efforts in improving the lives of the men, women and children of Richmond County.

“Our motto is ‘We Serve.’ We support a lot of others and organizations. We support the blind. We support Camp Dogwood, which is a specific camp for blind individuals from birth to adults. One of our member’s sisters was blind, and she enjoyed that trip to Dogwood every year,” said Arnette. “We support the hearing impaired … We go into primary schools, usually grades one and two, and we look at their eyes. It’s advanced notice to parents to say ‘Hey, there is something wrong with your child’s vision and you need to have it checked out.’ It’s something that’s done anonymously, so if your child is in that position you get a discrete letter and it’s not announced to the classroom. It’s very important. We don’t do this all for fun and games.”

As for future events, the Ellerbe Lions Club will host a children’s fishing tournament September 21 from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information regarding the Ellerbe Lions Club, their programs or how to donate, check them out on Facebook.