Help Support Fireworks
on Crystal Lake
For over 15 years, families and friends have gathered to enjoy our spectacular 4th of July Fireworks.
After the parades, burgers, and brats, we sit back on beach chairs or boats as the night sky lights up to celebrate our country and our freedom. It’s a cherished neighborhood tradition.
The Crystal Lake Fireworks Show is coming to an end.
As the Fourth of July is nearly here, I wanted to share an update on the status of the Crystal Lake Fireworks Show.
Last year, we were informed that a permit from a local government agency would now be required. Obtaining this permit would fundamentally change the nature of the show, requiring more formal organization and oversight measures that conflict with our long-standing approach as an informal group of volunteer residents. After exploring options, we have not found a way to continue without taking on these requirements, and rather than transform the event into something it was never intended to be, we have decided to conclude the show.
Thank you to all of our hundreds of incredible donors and volunteers over the years.
Crystal Lake is blessed with amazingly engaged and generous neighbors. You provided the resources, donations, and countless volunteer hours needed to create what we believe was the best music and fireworks show around.
I have always said during the show that we are a completely volunteer operation, but that is not entirely accurate. Nearly a generation of local youth – dozens of Crystal Lake teens over more than 15 years – can call the Crystal Lake Fireworks Show their first paid job. They handled much of the repetitive assembly work and became the backbone of each year’s production. You have all been amazing, and I cannot thank you enough.
We have also had a core group of Crystal Lake neighbors who, year after year, generously offered their time, vacation days, rafts, boats, homes, lakeshore, and anything else needed to bring the show together. You are an extraordinary group of people. Work on the show often would start in April or May and final clean-up would extend into August. Thank you for every known and unknown way you helped make this happen each year.
Finally, I want to thank my wonderful bride, my wife, Megan. Our little annual fireworks show had been growing for several years before she and I met. She has been incredibly supportive, encouraging, and patient through months of preparation and cleanup each year. She also played the critical role of taking the show I created each year on the computer and translating it into the language understood by the wireless fireworks firing system, a job I often handed her late the night before the show. I am humbled by your support and love.
I grew up on Crystal Lake and the Fourth of July was always one of the most special nights of the year on the lake, especially for the kids. The Crystal Lake Fireworks Show has been a means to offer that experience to todays youth while bring friends, neighbors, and family together. We celebrate our amazing country and express gratitude to our veterans and to all those who have made and continue to make our great republic possible. We salute you, appreciate you, and honor all those who laid down their lives to provide the freedoms we enjoy today.
Thank you for 15+ wonderful years, it has been grand!
Happy 250th birthday America!!
Rob and Megan
It is all thanks to the leadership of one Crystal Lake resident, with the help of a few volunteers and the patience of his wonderful wife and partner.
He plans, purchases, and choreographs the fireworks into a new show each year as a labor of love for the neighborhood where he grew up.
Our neighborhood. Our neighbors. And for you and your family.
This year, we are asking you to help ensure that this wonderful tradition remains part of our unique lake life by donating to help with the expenses.
Many thousands of dollars explode and sparkle across the Summer sky each year, and your generous support can keep it delighting us for years to come.
Please join us and preserve our special lake tradition!
Have photos to share? Send your Crystal Lake Fireworks images to [email protected]
Donate Below for the 2026 Fireworks
Please use the form below to donate towards the expense of your Crystal Lake Fireworks.
If you have any questions please email [email protected]
Your support is very much appreciated.
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Our Donors have raised $0 out of $19,500
We’re very thankful for the generous donations that have been made
Past Donors
If you donated via cash or check last year but your name doesn’t appear on the donor list, please accept our apology. We want to recognize you for your support! If you donated last year but your name doesn’t appear above please email: [email protected] and we’ll add you to the donor list! Thank you for your support!