I try to make it to the annual 4th of July celebration at Vetter Stone Amphitheater each year. Last year we were moving into our new house and still getting settled, so I didn't make it. This year though, I made plans to be there. After a fun cookout with friends, my wife and I headed down to see what was going on. Old Town was booming with activity with all the people coming and going from the park. We parked a little farther away than we would have liked, but we made our way in and found a spot to sit.
We got there around 7:30 pm, so things were well underway by that point. City Mouse had been playing first and we caught about 4 or 5 songs from them. Plenty of time to grab some photos of their set. City Mouse has a good mix of songs that they play and they span many genres. Classic Rock, Country Rock, Americana, you'll get it all and more when you see these guys playing live. Looking around the venue, I could see that everyone was enjoying the live music as they secured their spots for the fireworks. Clicking the photo below will take you to the full gallery!
After a quick set change, Erik Koskinen took to the stage with his band. His music was pretty standard country music, but he had fun with it. Songs about drinking and relationships with catchy easy to dance to tunes was what was in store for the ever growing crowd. I'm not a big country person, so I did grab my photos, stayed for a bit, and then decided to head out to regroup and take a spot on the bridge for this year's fireworks display. As I left, the steady stream of people still going into the park made me think leaving was a better idea. Still, Erik Koskinen looked to be giving a performance that the crowd enjoyed. Clicking the photo below will take you to the full gallery!
Once I got my camera set up with my tripod, I headed out to find a spot on the bridge. There was a ton of people up there as well. I had a pretty good idea of where the firework would be seen from and I picked a spot near the North Mankato side of the bridge. Once I got set up and got my test shots where I wanted them, I sat and waited until 10:00 pm. The fireworks were quick, only about 15 minutes, but I still got some cool shots. I was much more prepared than the last time when I was in Vetter Stone with my only 70-200mm lens. I couldn't zoom out far enough, but the result was still pretty neat. Anyway, another 4th of July celebration done and I'm left looking for other fireworks displays in the area to get more photos! Fireworks are always fun to photograph. Clicking the photo below will take you to the full gallery!
As always, get out and support live performances. I'll see you out there!
