Parks and recreation special events coordinator: Simple is better with city's Fourth of July event

City Parks and Recreation Special Events Coordinator Jamel Pitt said that he first went to a Rocky Mount Fourth of July gathering and fireworks show when he was a middle school student.

“It’s not too different from all the previous Fourth of Julys,” Pitt, 31, said in a recent phone interview of the Fourth of July gatherings and the fireworks shows through the years.

Pitt, a lifelong resident of the city, said Wednesday’s gathering and fireworks show will draw a variety of spectators, from children to active adults.

“You get a little bit of everybody out there because it’s so family-oriented,” Pitt said.

And he said, “Who doesn’t like fireworks?”

The annual Fourth of July gathering and fireworks show is held at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex off North Church Street and near the interchange with U.S. 64.

The gathering and the fireworks show are open free of charge.

The 2024 gathering is set to start at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the sports complex’s football stadium, with the fireworks show to start at 9 p.m.

The National Weather Service forecast for the Rocky Mount area calls for mostly sunny skies amid the daytime hours Wednesday, with a high temperature of nearly 88 degrees and a light northeast wind. The forecast for Wednesday evening calls for partly cloudy skies and a low of about 75 degrees.

Pitt said that plans for the 2024 gathering call for having live music by the band Rhythm Express, as well as inflatables and amusement rides for children, a video game truck, face painting, balloon twisting, bubble creation stations and horse carriage rides on Barnum Road. He also said that there will be food and information vendors.

The plan for the fireworks show is to proceed for a time with a variety of fireworks before ending with a big barrage of fireworks, Pitt said.

Pitt has been serving the past few years as the Parks and Recreation Department’s special events coordinator. He’s been with the department for about eight years.

Pitt’s philosophy about the Fourth of July gathering and the fireworks show can be summed up as an example of the old saying: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Pitts made clear that there is room to throw in new things if he and his team come up with new ideas.

“But sometimes, simple is better,” he said.

This also ensures attendees know what will occur.

In fact, Pitt said that the 2023 Fourth of July gathering drew numerous attendees, especially for the last two hours and right up before the fireworks show.

“And it got so packed I couldn’t see a blade of grass on the football field,” he said.

Pitt said that his three favorite events that he works on as the special events coordinator are Juneteenth, the Eastern Carolina BBQ Throw Down and the Fourth of July gathering and fireworks show.

He said that Juneteenth is probably the one event he puts the most effort into because it is such a big one and recently went from being two days in the past to a three-day festival.

“It’s the one where I can kind of immediately see the fruits of my labor as it goes on,” Pitt noted.

As for why the BBQ Throw Down is second on his list, he said, “I mean, who doesn’t like barbecue? And I have a good camaraderie with all the barbecue teams. So, it’s kind of like being around family when they come out there.”

The fireworks show has an extra special perk for Pitt.

“I always have a good time because this is one of the few ones I can actually sit down and enjoy,” Pitt said with a laugh.