MILWAUKEE - Getting a front row seat to the fireworks means getting there early for Tracy Thomann and her family. She sets up her tarp at 6 a.m. the day before the big show. Then she returns early on July 3 to spend the day at Veterans Park.

"I come here with my aunt who I see only about twice a year. We sit down here all day. We talk, visit, the kids hang out," she said.

It's a tradition that started in 1973. Tracy was just a little girl when her mom, Sandy Turowski, first took the family to the fireworks. Back then, it was sponsored by Schlitz and there were lots fewer people.

"It was a lot easier back then," Sandy says.

Tracy loves that her three kids get just as excited for the big day as she does.

“It’s not longer just about my mom, it’s about my family. It’s about coming down every year and just hanging out," Thomann said.