Lewistown always wakes with the sound of birds and the flow of the Juniata, but the last Sunday in June brings a different anticipation. The air in the morning after the fireworks is charged, as if the night’s thunder and color still hangs over the rooftops.

It’s the echo in the chest, the memory of those sky-bursts over the river, that gets people talking in the checkout line and lingers in photos on phones and social feeds. Or maybe it’s what the fireworks stand for — the one hour when a small town stops, looks up, and remembers it is part of something larger than itself.

The fireworks display is the punctuation mark at the end of June, an exclamation that belongs to everyone who calls this valley home. No single person owns it, but it would not happen without the will of the community and the coordination of the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Each year, the Chamber gathers energy, logistics, paperwork, insurance, and the toughest part — funding. This effort allows us to pause daily life for one night and celebrate what makes our community special.

The $20,500 it took to paint the sky this year came as checks and coins from businesses and families, large donors and people who tossed a couple of dollars into a collection jar. The cost is higher than last year by $500, which, for an event measured in minutes, can sound extravagant — until you remember the value of tradition and togetherness in a place like this.

It’s easy to lose sight of the work behind the spectacle. Months before the fuses were ever lit, Chamber staff and volunteers knocked on doors, sent emails, worked the phones, and asked for support. They compiled lists, balanced accounts, and chased invoices so others could chase the perfect seat by the riverbank.

They negotiated with suppliers, answered anxious questions about rain dates, and worked with first responders to keep the crowd safe. This orchestration involves police officers, emergency crews, public works, and — at the core — a nonprofit whose mission often means more than chamber mixers and ribbon cuttings.

What does a fireworks show do for a place like Lewistown? Some say it’s tradition. Some say it’s proof that even small towns can put on a big show. But the actual answer is quieter. It’s in the gathering of families who otherwise pass each other on the road or in the aisles at Giant or Walmart. It’s in the reunion of neighbors who bring lawn chairs and coolers, who nod at each other in the dusk, remembering the years before and imagining the years to come.

The show isn’t only for the children whose faces light up with every volley; it’s for the adults who remember their childhoods in the glow of these same fireworks, who feel, if only for a night, that the world isn’t moving so fast.

And none of this is automatic. Without the Chamber and the generosity of donors — some with familiar names and some you’ll never know — there would be no rockets over the river. There would be no gasp from the crowd as the finale shakes the air.

Every dollar mattered, and every donor — business or individual — helped keep this tradition alive. The event is not a line item in some faceless budget; it is an annual test of a community’s willingness to invest in shared experience.

The aftermath of the fireworks is quiet and practical. The riverbank is cleaned, the traffic cones are packed up, the last hot dog wrappers and glow sticks are gathered. What remains is not the debris but the memory and the feeling that comes from having done something together.

In a time when every expense is scrutinized, when every organization must justify its existence, the Chamber’s stewardship of the fireworks display is a reminder of what local institutions can achieve when they have the trust and support of the community.

If you watched the show this year, you saw the result of that faith — exploding, shimmering, falling in the summer night, paid for by people who understand that some things are worth more than the sum of their receipts.

Maybe you donated. Maybe you know someone who did. Maybe you sat back and enjoyed the view, grateful that in Lewistown, there are still people who will do the work so others can share the moment.