Jefferson City once again played host to some 50,000 people celebrating the country's independence, and officials said the weather played a part in making the festival financially successful and without any major problems.
"We just couldn't have asked for better weather," said festival director Jill Snodgrass. "People were in a good mood, and sales were up. There were relatively few issues at all."
The Jefferson City Police Department agreed that the event had little in the way of crime or other problems.
The two-day Salute to America event featured a carnival, parade, multiple entertainment stages, world-class sand sculptors, a street dance, hot dog eating contest, a variety of food vendors, all capped off by Saturday night's Red, White & Boom Skyconcert.
The musical entertainment was highlighted by All My Rowdy Friends: Hank Williams Jr. Tribute and Kevin Chalfant's Journey Experience.
The parade float winners were Busch's Florist, best float; Greg Rollins for Sheriff, best interpretation of the theme (United We Stand); and Patriot Marching Band from Minnesota, best musical entry.
Part of the funding generated by Salute to America comes from the Southern Fun carnival, which gives a percent of its gross revenue to the festival. Snodgrass said this year's carnival was the second-highest revenue producer.
She said she is aware of a few relatively small incidents during the festival, including an arrest resulting from kids fighting and an arrest for someone being drunk in public. A worker with Southern Fun Carnival who tried to jump over a barricade dislocated his arm, she said.
"Mild weather seems to make people in a better mood," Snodgrass said. "They take care of themselves, and you definitely see a reduction in the amount of (police) calls and stuff like that."
The weather was sunny with temperatures in the lower to mid-80s.
Professional competitive eater Randy Santel of St. Louis won the hot dog eating contest, pocketing $400 cash for downing 33 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
This was the first year people could pay for a few minutes in Zorb balls, and Snodgrass said they were a popular addition to the festival. They are giant inflatable transparent balls - sometimes called "human hamster balls" - that you can get inside of and control the ball's direction from within.
Another highlight this year, she said, was the beach party, which started with sand in the 200 block of Madison Street during Thursday Night Live, and stayed through the Fourth. International sand carving champion Dan Belcher was joined by two other world-class sand carvers, Marianne Van der Broek and her partner, Chris. They own Sand Isle in Key West, and Chris was a regular on the Travel Channel's "Sand Masters."
Snodgrass said she hopes to make the sand sculpting a bigger part of future festivals.
For Snodgrass, who along with a team of volunteers, has organized the festival for 12 years, this year's festival had one major event that she didn't anticipate: a proposal.
Sean Krikorian, her significant other for the past five years, proposed to her during the presentation with Missouri Credit Union just before the fireworks display.
He had purchased extra shells for the Red, White & Boom Skyconcert, and pledged to have them added to the display, if she said yes, which she did.
Kris Scheperle, Cole County's Western District commissioner, shot confetti cannons, and the display started with a pair of shells that Krikorian had previously arranged.
"It was pretty amazing, and very much not expected," Snodgrass said. "I still can't figure out how he pulled it off without me knowing."
A videorecording of the event is being edited for YouTube.