President Donald Trump will attend the July Fourth fireworks display at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Two weeks ago, more than 125,000 tickets to the event were requested. That’s significant because there are only 800,000 residents of South Dakota and 180,000 of them live in Sioux Falls – by far the biggest city in that state.

In fact, more than 40,000 South Dakotans had requested tickets. And since this is an outdoor event, there will be no need for attendees to sign a liability waiver if they later become sick with the coronavirus.

If it wasn’t 860 miles away, I would love to go. I have been to South Dakota three times now but only in the eastern part – far away from Mount Rushmore.

(Of course, the liberal Tulsa World ran a story about how “dangerous” it is to shoot off fireworks at Mount Rushmore because they have had a dry spell. If Trump weren’t going, they probably would have run a story saying it was the best planned celebration in our nation’s history.)

If you expect to see fireworks on the Arkansas River on July Fourth in Tulsa, you are out of luck. The river fireworks were canceled and then rescheduled for September 7 on Labor Day.

You could go to Owasso where they will host the annual Red, White and BOOM fireworks show. The show begins at dark at the Owasso Golf and Athletic Club south of 86th Street North and 129th Street.

The best spots to see those fireworks are at Owasso High School, Town Center Shopping Center, Owasso 8th Grade Center, and 6th Grade Center.

The City of Jenks will host Boomfest on July 4th with a full fireworks show on the 96th Street Bridge.

Grand Lake has canceled its annual fireworks display but they vow to return in 2021. However, the Monkey Island Fireworks Festival will have a fireworks display on July 3rd. And The city of Grove will have fireworks at sundown on July 3rd. Also, the 2020 Duck Creek Fireworks will be at sundown on July 4th.

In Skiatook on July 3rd, the nightly fireworks will be at the Skiatook Municipal Airport. Because of the coronavirus, there won’t be any live music or food vendors. People are encouraged to bring their own food.

Cushing canceled its fireworks show. Stillwater postponed their event and they hope to reschedule later this year. Pawnee canceled their annual 4th of July Games on the Square and the fireworks show.

Drumright will have fireworks on July 3rd after sunset at Whitlock Park and Stroud will a display on July 4th at Foster Park.

I think my favorite fireworks display was in the 1990s when we were on vacation at Madeira Beach, Florida. We went a condo facing the Gulf of Mexico about eight stories up.

Madeira Beach is on the Gulf Coast of Florida and there is a series of small towns in both directions. It seemed like every community had a spectacular public fireworks display. We sat on our balcony and watched fireworks for a long time.

I have never seen the July 4th fireworks at Disney World in Orlando but I have flown over Orlando at night when they used to shoot off a brilliant display at Disney World almost every night.

When my son Brian was a toddler, I took him to the Tulsa Fairgrounds to see that fireworks show and it was impressive. I liked it and he was scared.

Later, I took all three kids to the Lowe’s parking lot at 15th Street and Yale Avenue to watch that display.

We have never really gone down to Arkansas River on July 4th because of all the traffic and all the drinking.

For several years, we would take our lawn chairs to Saint Francis Hospital and sit in front of the huge water fountain at the corner of Yale Avenue and 61st Street.

From that vantage point, we could see the fireworks at the Arkansas River, at the Fairgrounds, at Southern Hills Country Club and even catch a glimpse of fireworks from Skiatook.

We always had company in that spot. And it was great when the kids were little because we were just minutes from our house and if they got sleepy (and a little cranky), we could head for home.

An up on that hill, you could see people illegally shooting off bottle rockets all over South Tulsa.

This year, I am not sure we go anywhere to watch fireworks. The kids are all grown and our grandkids are in South Dakota.

And our two pugs get nervous when they hear fireworks going off. Sometimes people will fire off rockets in the church parking lot by our house. We’ve had rockets fall on our roof but there’s been no fires. Still, it’s a good time to hang around the house for the sake of the dogs and the roof.

It would be fun to be with the whole family and see fireworks at Mount Rushmore but this year we have to settle for seeing it on TV.