The Wawasee Property Owners Association proudly presents
Lake Wawasee Fireworks — Wawasee250, July 4, 2026
Commemorating America's 250th anniversary with a Lake Wawasee-wide summer celebration of our country and our community.
The summer at a glance↓
Flag • Festival • Flotilla • Flyover • Fireworks
The Wawasee250 Celebration
From a flag on every member's pier to the largest fireworks show in our lake's history, Wawasee250 marks America's 250th birthday the way Lake Wawasee does best: together. The big days are Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4, 2026. Here is the summer, start to finish.
All Summer Long
The Flag
It starts with a flag, and the flag starts with membership. The commemorative Wawasee250 flag is free to WPOA members, and joining is the only way to get one. Members fly it all summer, a shared mark of pride pier to pier around the lake. Not a member yet? Join, and yours is on the way. Join the rest of the lake in a unified celebration of community and country.
Friday, July 3 • 9 a.m. to Noon
The Festival
The weekend opens with a free lakefront morning built for members and their families: the commissioning of our brand-new fireworks barge fleet, a live safe-firing demonstration, hands-on crafts for the kids, food, music, and free professional photos for members and their families. Kids even learn how a firework works and design their own keepsake firework to take home.
Saturday, July 4 • 12:30 p.m.
The Flotilla
A Lake Wawasee tradition turns 65. This year's parade of boats takes the theme America the Beautiful, 250 Years Strong, with classic Century boats leading the way for their own 100th anniversary. The day starts on land with the Flotilla Road Race.
Saturday, July 4 • 1:30 p.m.
The Flyover
Look up. During the Flotilla, the WPOA brings in The Skyliners, a precision aerobatic team flying restored 1950s T-34 Mentor warbirds, passing directly over the lake in tight formation. A salute from the sky to cap the parade on the water.
Saturday, July 4 • 10:30 p.m. • Center of Lake Wawasee
The Fireworks Spectacular
The largest fireworks show in Lake Wawasee history. Twelve brand-new barges, built right here in Syracuse, join six from the existing fleet to fire a 23-minute spectacular from the center of the lake by Zambelli, the same pyrotechnic pros who design and launch Thunder Over Louisville, set to an original soundtrack composed for Wawasee250 by SFC Noah D. Taylor and broadcast live over the air on Willie 103.5 FM so the whole lake hears it together.
Tune your radio to 103.5 FM so every boat, dock, and porch hears it together. Don't stream, it runs seconds behind the sky.
Fired by Zambelli professional pyrotechnics • original score by West Point composer SFC Noah D. Taylor • new barge fleet built by Swiss Perfection of Syracuse.
SFC Noah D. Taylor · USMA Band
Commissioned for Wawasee250
An original score, written at West Point
This show is scored, not shuffled. The WPOA commissioned Sergeant First Class Noah D. Taylor, staff composer for the all-enlisted United States Military Academy Band, to compose, arrange, and produce the entire 23-minute soundtrack, every cue synchronized to the fireworks overhead. An original America the Beautiful theme he wrote for Wawasee250 opens the show with full ceremonial weight and returns in the finale to bring the night full circle. He also scores Macy's 4th of July Fireworks and Disney's Fantasmic!
America's 250th deserves more than a standard show, and SFC Taylor's score gives the evening the weight and the heart it needs. Chris Campbell · WPOA Fireworks & Wawasee250 Chair
Hear it live, Saturday, July 4 at 10:30 p.m. on Willie 103.5 FM
Wear the Summer
Merchandise
Take home a piece of the celebration. Wawasee250 caps, tees, and keepsakes are available online, so place your order as soon as possible to be sure it arrives by the 4th. Prefer to shop in person? T-shirts in a range of sizes will be on sale at the Wawasee250 Festival tent. Every purchase supports the lake.
Be Part of It
Volunteer
The Festival runs on neighbors helping neighbors. Join the shuttle crew, the check-in tents, the kids' activities, setup, or tear-down. Give a few hours Friday morning and you'll get a free shirt, a meal, and Wawasee250 swag. It is the best seat in the house, and a great way for teens to earn volunteer hours.
Make the show possible
Fuel the Fireworks
Far more goes into the show than fireworks. You see the bursts over the water; you don't see the 52 thirty-pound anchors, the 40 buoys (some more than eight feet tall), the thousands of feet of line and chain, the security, the insurance, and the 500+ hours of volunteer time it takes to stage it all safely. The barge fleet is paid in full thanks to this community, and the show itself is funded 100% by neighbors who chip in. Your gift to the 2026 Fireworks Fund powers every shell, every position, every minute over the water on the Fourth.
Donate to the 2026 Fireworks FundThe Wawasee Property Owners Association is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Pictured is the 2019 WPOA show. The 2026 prize will be a new limited-edition print from the Wawasee250 fireworks. Photography by Wallyography.com.
Limited Edition
The Wawasee250 Fireworks Print
A limited-edition fine-art print of the Wawasee250 fireworks over the lake. Three will be given away at random: one to a Capital Campaign donor, one to a 2026 Annual Fireworks Fund donor, and one drawn from everyone who attends the Wawasee250 Festival. Give to the Annual Fireworks Fund and you're automatically entered.
Prints will also be available for purchase, with proceeds supporting the WPOA Annual Fireworks Fund and the WPOA's Boater Safety efforts.
Donate & get enteredNo purchase necessary. See the official rules.
Learn more
About the WPOA
Wawasee250 is brought to you by the Wawasee Property Owners Association, the nonprofit that has protected and served Lake Wawasee for generations. For $100 a year, members fund the year-round work that keeps the lake safe, healthy, and connected.
- Sheriff lake patrol, on the water all season
- Invasive weed control and water-quality monitoring
- Dike and shoreline infrastructure protection
- Community programs, traditions, and celebrations like this one
Join your neighbors. Protect the lake. Be part of every celebration to come.
Become a member