BROOKHAVEN — Residents can celebrate July 4th at the Lincoln Civic Center Thursday afternoon. Fireworks and horses from the Mississippi Highway Patrol will be the highlight of the night. There are a few changes this year. 

Lincoln Civic Center director Chaston Bullock said the Mississippi Highway Patrol Mounted division will be at the center from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the practice baseball fields near Smith Lake road. Fireworks will start at 9 p.m. and last about 25 minutes. People can tune in to 102.1 to follow along with the show. 

In previous years, the fireworks were fired from a parking lot in between the baseball fields and the RV park at the civic center. Maps show the fireworks this year will be shot off from behind the civic center event building and arena. It should be more visible to the public. 

Chris Reid, Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency Director, said there will be some changes to access, parking and post-firework show traffic flow. People can enter parking areas from Smith Lake road and park in the lots by the practice ball fields. The general public can also enter at the RV park to park there and the entrance to the ball fields north of the civic center from Industrial Park Road. 

After the firework show, people who leave the RV parking lot and the ballfields parking lot will have to take Industrial Road west towards US51. Those who park at the parking lot near the Civic Center event building and baseball practice fields will have to exit down Smith Lake Road and go east or west. 

The firework show is sponsored by Sen. Jason Barrett, Rep. Becky Currie and Rep. Vince Mangold. To view a map of the parking, entrances and routes click here.