MONTICELLO - Although the fireworks didn't get started until 9 p.m., visitors were filling Monticello's Lodge Park on Friday afternoon, several hours before the show started.

Some were setting up their lawn chairs, hoping to find the best view of the excitement to come. Some tossed Frisbees, while others searched for a bite to eat.

On the surface, the annual Monticello Freedom Fest was pretty much the same as it has been for the last 35 years in the park. However, for part of the year since last July 3, the future of the festival was uncertain.

After longtime organizer Bud Wittig decided to stop doing the show, a committee was formed to continue the event. Wittig had organized the show along with his family and friends.

"The show was going to be dropped," said Arthur Sievers, secretary of the Freedom Fest steering committee. "We decided in April to go ahead and have the show. We said we can do this."

The festival didn't appear to miss a beat as the park was once again filling up with a large crowd. Organizers expected that the crowd would swell to around 10,000 people.

"We've been fighting an uphill battle convincing people we're still here," Sievers said. "The tradition continues."

As in years past, the campsite was filled to capacity early in the day.

"It's in a big park and you can turn the kids loose," Sievers said.

The fireworks were the main attraction, one night ahead of when most towns shoot their displays off. Sievers said the plans were to have a fast-paced 35-minute show, with the fireworks still being hand-fired.

Displays in cities such as Decatur and Champaign have shows using computers to set off the fireworks.

"It's old-fashioned," Sievers said. "It's like fireworks used to be. They've got to light them and run like crazy."

The length of the fireworks show was shortened from over an hour in previous years in an effort to get the crowd home sooner.

"There'll be a lot of stuff in the air very quickly," Sievers said. "This is your laid back country show."

He's already looking forward to the event next year.

"We'll be back next July 3," Sievers said.

clusvardi@herald-review.com|421-7972