Few summer events in the Highland Lakes bring out the crowds quite like AquaBoom. For more than a half-century, people have made their way to Kingsland to celebrate the Fourth of July on Lake LBJ. It’s no wonder that AquaBoom was once again voted a Locals Love Us Favorite Community Event by The Picayune Magazine readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners.
Vice president of AquaBoom for the past three years, Teresa Gray has volunteered at the event for around two decades. She said there’s plenty to love about the celebration.
“I think there are a lot of people who depend on it,” she said. “Our hotels and motels – they have a lot of regulars who come in and expect it. It’s our community’s biggest event. It gives something for all people to enjoy.”
Indeed. AquaBoom includes a pageant, a golf tournament, cook-offs, poker runs, shopping, dances, parades, plenty of food, and the main event — a fireworks show over the lake.
AquaBoom's success comes from the dedication of its many volunteers. Gray applauded those who work behind the scenes as well as the community. Businesses prepare for an influx of visitors, while locals are patient with an increase in traffic on the roads and the lake. “I think it’s more of a partnership,” Gray said about the support. “We have people from all over who take on those events and make them successful. It’s a bunch of different people in the community. There are groups of people who make those events happen. If they disappeared, people would be upset.”
editor@thepicayune.com
2022 Locals Love Us Favorite Community Event: Kingsland AquaBoom
AquaBoom, represented by Vice President Teresa Gray, was voted a Locals Love Us Favorite Community Event. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro