Thousands Apply to See Fireworks at Mount Rushmore

Over 125 thousand people filed applications to see the fourth of July fireworks at Mount Rushmore in just a few short days. South Dakota Governor, Kristi Noem broke the news on Twitter, Tuesday.

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial has been in the news a lot in the past few months. Momentum to bring back the fireworks celebration had been building since early March. After the pandemic hit, the calls grew even louder, and in late April it was announced that the fireworks, would indeed be returning for the first time since 2009. Then rumors began to circulate that President Donald Trump would be attending the fireworks ceremony on July 3rd. After days of speculation, that news was confirmed on May 3rd. And finally, the news of the lottery broke late last month, and American's from every corner of the country had been trying to get their hands on the precious tickets.

Out of the 125,000 applicants, only 7,500 will be chosen to attend the festivities on July 3rd. Those applying had the opportunity to request up to six tickets for the lottery, which officially closed on Monday evening.

For the event next month, the park will be dividing seating into two separate zones. One of the seating areas will be in the Mount Rushmore Amphitheater, which can hold between 2,500 and 3,000 people. The remaining 4,500 people will be seated across the street from the memorial in what is currently a gravel parking lot. The lot will be converted into a seating area for patrons before the show in July.