Fireworks, fried pickles and festive music abound at Palmetto celebration

Rain made way for sunshine on Wednesday afternoon, just in time for Palmetto's eighth annual Fourth Fest.

Families relaxed and played in the breezy 87-degree weather for hours. Dark, rumbling skies threatened the event as evening approached, but the festive crowd seemed unfazed.

Kristan Rosales eagerly awaited a performance by the the Charlie Daniels Band. It took event organizers about five years to book the legendary musician, and Rosales has waited most of her life to watch Wednesday's performance.

"I'll be 32 this month, so quite awhile," she said. "My mom always listened to them."

She came to the park with two kids, three grandchildren and a rescue dog named Kitty. Though Rosales moved to Bradenton four years ago, it was her first time at the event.

Food vendors and live music filled Sutton Park, where crowds gathered under the shade trees.

Steam drifted from Styrofoam cups, each filled with a heaping portion of boiled peanuts. Meat crackled over charcoal briquettes, and deep fried pickles took a bath in scolding oil. American flags lined a Budweiser truck and the shirts of thirsty visitors.

There was no shortage of red, white and blue attire at the event. Guests expressed their patriotism with hats, shirts, beads, fanny packs and just about everything else.

At Lamb Park, children raced inside "zorbs," which resemble a giant hamster ball. Other kids tumbled in bounce houses and lined up for temporary tattoos. Some kids did everything — over and over again.

Roaring generators overpowered the hissing sound of nearby spray guns. Annabelle Evangelista, 6, looked in wonderment as her 4-year-old sister, Isabelle , received a pink and green mermaid "tattoo."

Their mother, Amanda, said her daughters jumped themselves to exhaustion on a set of inflatable trampolines. They would take a break at home before the 9 p.m. firework show over the Manatee River.

Wednesday was also a day for charity. Mayors' Feed The Hungry, a nonprofit serving Manatee and Sarasota counties, gathered canned goods. OneBlood collected donations on its "Big Red Bus" in return for free movie tickets.

"I think this is really cool," Amanda Evangelista said. "It's free for the kids — it's fun for them."

This story was originally published July 4, 2018 at 8:00 PM.