BUFFALO, N.Y. — There's no shortage of places to watch fireworks across Western New York on July 4th. One place that will be sparkling, for sure, is Sahlen Field in Downtown Buffalo.
On Monday, thousands of people gathered for a series of events at Sahlen Field. For starters, the Bisons took on the Syracuse Mets, followed by the annual BPO concert and of course the fireworks show - which just so happens to be the largest display of the season.
It's been a long time since Western New York celebrated Independence Day together - baseball, fans, food, and lots of family fun to be had.
And there were also some memorial ceremonial pitches to start the game.
Roy Kinyon, 100, who is a Lockport-native and WWII Veteran signed a 1-Day contract with the Bisons so he could live his dream of being a professional baseball player. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was never able to play, until Monday.
Kinyon threw a pitch to the sounds of cheers from family, friends, and an entire community grateful for his service.
"I practice to throw it and I got through it," Kinyon said. "This made my day."
There was a second special pitch of the night as well, one to remember.
Zaire Goodman, one of the survivors of the mass shooting at Tops, and his mother Zeneta Everhart also hit the mound.
Fans enjoyed every moment of the 26th annual Buffalo Bisons KeyBank Independence Night game.
One fan told 2 On Your Side's Liz Lewin, "There's nothing, that I can think of, that's more American than enjoying a hotdog at a baseball game."
Independence Day 2022 proved to be quite a success!