After intermittent rains, thousands packed downtown Vicksburg during the evening to watch and take part in Tuesday’s events celebrating Independence Day.

Tourists and locals alike lined the streets near homes and businesses from Levee Street up to Cherry Street, and even more were crowded into various parking garages and balconies downtown to watch the Fireworks Extravaganza over the Yazoo Diversion Canal at City Front.

&#8220It gets bigger and prettier every year,” said Sara Sykes of Vicksburg, watching the cascading bursts of color with her daughter Allyson, 10, and 10-month-old son Ryan.

The Sykes’ vantage point for the extravaganza, paid for largely by Ameristar Casino and Hotel, was just across the walls of City Front. It was also a perfect location for Frances Willoughby and her daughter Shyane, both of South Carolina, who made a stop in Vicksburg on their way home from visiting family in Texas.

&#8220I looked online to find this. It’s a really great display,” Willoughby said.

According to a Vicksburg Police Department estimate, about 5,000 people turned out for Tuesday’s events.

The figure is down from previous years, mainly due to the threat of bad weather that lingered all day, Deputy Chief Richard O’Bannon said.

Swirling clouds dumped varying amounts of rain through the region, but a mere .08-inch was officially recorded, according to the National Weather Service in Jackson.

Before the night’s show, children splished and splashed until dusk in the fountain at the Art Park at Catfish Row, providing a needed cooling-off for locals and tourists from temperatures that reached the upper 80s during the day.

&#8220The kids took to it immediately,” said Nathan McKay of Mendenhall, in town to take in the holiday festivities while vacationing with his wife, Suzanne, and daughters Andrea, 9, and Anna, 4.

Steve Powell of Vicksburg watched son Kaden, 10, on an electrical-powered inflated waterslide set up on Mulberry Street, not the least bit worried about threatening skies.

&#8220Rain? Who cares? I’ll bring a towel,” he said.

Later, conductor Robert Franz led the Mississippi Symphony Holiday Orchestra in overcoming a brief rain delay to entertain the crowd with patriotic standards such as &#8220America The Beautiful” and assorted other tunes like the &#8220Colonel Bogey March” and &#8220Horse and Buggy.”

Larry Gawronski, executive director of the Vicksburg Convention Center, tried to energize the mood following the delay by using a city police car radio and loudspeaker.

&#8220We’re here to celebrate America’s 230th birthday and not even the rain will stop us!” he boomed.

The police car’s PA system was needed due to wet cords connecting the sound system to speakers along Washington Street, rendering the sound coming from the small, green speakers cracked and distorted.

&#8220There wasn’t enough time to air-dry them,” Gawronski said.

In an effort to get the symphony performance going without a further delay, he said, a small sound system used by Vicksburg Main Street for small-scale ceremonies like ribbon cuttings was hooked up.

A backup sound system may be rented for next year’s festivities that can be connected &#8220in a hurry,” he said.

Tokens of appreciation were dispensed by Mayor Laurence Leyens to those involved in helping organize this year’s Fourth of July events, including its perennial coordinator Frances Koury, Ameristar Casino Vicksburg general manager Ray Neilsen and District 3 Supervisor Charles Selmon, representing the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

This year, partly due to the holiday falling on a Tuesday, five days of events were scheduled including a series of concerts through the weekend.