Fireworks serve as weekly grand finale for Arnolds Park's Saturday night concert series

Then it's the cavalcade of colors reflected off the clear blue waters of West Lake Okoboji that ignites the imagination of Jon Pausley.

"My favorite time of the week is on a Saturday night, right after a concert and watching the firework go off," he said. "I don't know how else to explain it. There is something truly magical about a fireworks show at Arnolds Park."

Pausley ought to know. He's the CEO of the historic Arnolds Park Amusement Park, which is in the center of the Iowa Great Lakes and is currently celebrating its 135th season in operation.

An entertainment complex that attracts visitors from around the world, Arnolds Park is the home of the 94-year-old "Legend" rollercoaster, which was completely restored in 2023.

In addition, a new concert deck, which features concessions and an outdoor bar, is new to Arnold Park Preservation Plaza.

"I tell people if they haven't been to Arnold Park lately, then, they haven't been to Arnolds Park at all," Pausley, who joined the park's staff in 2022, said. "The park has been completely transformed."

Yet, some longstanding traditions remain. Like the after-concert fireworks display, for instance.

"I don't know exactly how many years we've done the every Saturday fireworks show but I love it," Pausley said. "So does everybody else."

Indeed, at around 10:15-ish on a Saturday night, West Okoboji skies come alive with color with a spectacular show between now and Labor Day weekend.

The fireworks are detonated off a barge in the middle of the lake. How they get there is actually a show in itself.

"On Saturday, a big trailer from J&M Displays will comes to the park," Pausley said. "Then, a crew of experts will place all of the pyrotechnic onto the barge."

"It is a huge production for what amounts to a 10-to-12-minute show," he added.

Actually, the fireworks serves as the grand finale for the free concert, held every Saturday night at Arnolds Park's Rooftop Plaza.

This year, concert headliners include legendary acts like The Lettermen and Herman's Hermits, starring Peter Noone, as well as cover bands featuring the tunes of everybody from Neil Diamond to The Rolling Stones. 

"For a long time, the fireworks were timed to go off as soon as the band played its last song," Pausley said.

That was until Danny Seraphaine and The CTA -- a band that covers music by the seminal group Chicago --played Arnolds Park a few years ago.

"During that show, one of the pyrotechnic guys had an itchy trigger finger," Pausley explained. "The fireworks went off while the band was still playing their final number."

It was at that moment when inspiration struck.

"We decided this mistake was actually a stroke of genius," Pausley remarked. "We have a first-rate band playing first-rate music in a beautiful facility. Then, we had Lake Okoboji as a backdrop for a beautiful fireworks show going off at the same time." 

Now, every band plays its last song of the night amid the nearby pops and booms. 

"Terrific music and fireworks from the vantage point of the best seat at Arnolds Park? Now, that's better than the finale of a Hallmark Channel TV movie, right?" he mentioned with a smile. 

Like so many others, Pausley is a Saturday night regular for both the Rooftop Garden concert as well as the fireworks show.

"It wouldn't be summer without music and fireworks on a warm night on a lake," he said.