The lead-up to 4th of July 2020 has been littered with numerous cancellations of community celebrations for Independence Day. Despite a sizable portion of the region's festivities being cancelled, there are still some fireworks shows and activities that are scheduled to proceed, albeit with more of a 'socially-distanced' emphasis.

Fire officials across the region have expressed some concern that the reduced number of organized, professionally-orchestrated displays might lead to an uptick in the number of amateur shows across the region. This prompted two concerns - first, that there could be an increase in the number of injuries due to inexperienced individuals (or people under the influence of their favorite libations) having mishaps, and second - that drought-like conditions across much of the region could lead to some fires.

Some recent rainfall should help a little bit with the fire concern, though there are still many areas that are pretty dry. Regardless, if you are planning your own private show, be safe. If you'd still like to check out a professional show, there are a number across the region you can still check out. After a little researching and help from resources like Explore Minnesota, I found a decent number of professional fireworks displays worth a look around the Northland.

July 3

• Aurora - 10 pm - More details on the event Facebook page
• Eveleth - 10:15
• Gilbert - Dusk - More details on the event Facebook page
• Orr - Dusk - More details on the event Facebook page

July 4

• Ashland - 10 pm (over Chequamegon Bay)
• Ely - Dusk (over Miners Lake) - Though the city's website doesn't list the event, Explore Minnesota says they are doing a show
• Gordon - While Good Neighbor Days has been cancelled, the Buckhorn Bar & Grill organized a fundraiser to host a show at the ball field at 10:20 pm.
• Grand Marais - Dusk (over the harbor) - More info
• Grand Rapids - 10 pm - New location for this year at Portage Park in Cohasset
• McGregor - 10:15 pm (between Goffs & Webster's Bay on Big Sandy Lake)
• Superior - UPDATE: Fireworks in Superior have been cancelled this year.
• Virginia - 10:15 pm on the shores of Silver Lake
• Silver Bay - The Silver Bay Fire Department will be putting on a show at dusk.
• Solon Springs - (on the lake across from the St. Croix Inn)

There are additional Minnesota towns a little further away from the Twin Ports region like Walker, Pequot Lakes, Cambridge, Nisswa, and others that Explore Minnesota says are also having shows this year. You can get further details on those shows here.

While many of the towns not on the list above have cancelled this year's fireworks shows, there are a few towns planning on moving their fireworks displays to a later date. Among those cities are:

• Brookston - Organizers say they will have a fireworks show on September 5, the Saturday before Labor Day.
• Duluth - Organizers say they are moving the city's fireworks show to Labor Day, Monday, September 7.
• Moose Lake - Organizers say they are "working towards having something in September" with no further details available at the time of publishing.