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Military members rock out at biggest Quad City fireworks show

Thousands of people of people showed up to Modern Woodman Park on the Davenport riverfront for Red, White and Boom, an annual Independence Day celebration and t...

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Thousands of people showed up to Modern Woodman Park on the Davenport riverfront for Red, White and Boom, an annual Independence Day celebration and the Quad Cities' largest fireworks show.

"We were looking around for places to watch fireworks and we just thought this seemed really fun," said Anna Arms, 12 from Bettendorf, Iowa. For Arms, the Fourth of July, means freedom.

"We will be free as long as we have the defense and we have the Army and we have the military," said Arms, who sat in the bleachers of Modern Woodman park on Saturday afternoon alongside her family.

2016 is the second year Modern Woodman park has hosted the Red, White and Boom celebration, which is traditionally held on the eve of the fourth. It's a free event open to the public.

"This is the first year that we've played here at Modern Woodman," said Army Specialist Noah Sund. Sund plays bass Scrap Metal, the newest group of the the 34th Army Band.

The band works in a Musical Performance Team (MPT) and travels the state year-round performing for fellow members of the military and special public events.

"We're Scrap Metal so we're a New Orleans-style brass band and riot jazz, but we play punk hip hop classic rock. Anything that you could like, we'll play a little bit of it," said Sund, a graduate of North Scott High School in Eldridge, Iowa.

The Army Band has a long history in the United States Military.

"There was the Infantry Corps, the Medicorps, and then the Band Corps. So we're one of the oldest parts of the military in general," said Sund.

"Obviously with the Fourth of July we always want a large part of the ceremony be devoted to the military," said Andrew Chesser, General Manager of Modern Woodman Park. Chesser said hosting Red, White and Boom is something Modern Woodman Park is happy to be able to do.

"What better than baseball, saluting the military and fireworks, and you know, a hot dog. I think that's as American as you can get," said Chesser.

As Anna Arms and her family watched Scrap Metal do a sound check prior to the bands showtime, Arms said she was excited for the show.

"I really enjoy watching fireworks and I am also excited to watch the band, of course, and I am excited to have food," said Arms.

Scrap Metal performed for a couple hours on Sunday night before the fireworks started promptly at 9:30 p.m. The fireworks were shot off from two different barges on the Mississippi River. One positioned on the water in front of Modern Woodman Park and the other on the water in front of the pavilion at Schweibert Park in downtown Rock Island.

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