BATON ROUGE — WBRZ has been on the air for 70 years, and for more than 50 of those years, the Manship family has carried on a Fourth of July tradition that began in a backyard.

"My grandfather just enjoyed fireworks and shooting them off in his backyard when my dad, uncles and aunt were children," Jake Manship said, recalling the humble beginnings of what has become Louisiana's largest fireworks display.

While celebrations abound throughout the Baton Rouge area, none rival the scale of the Independence Day show along the Mississippi River.

"At some point, he decided that it would be a good thing for the city to be able to take part in it, and it's just grown from there and now it's the largest firework show in Louisiana," Manship said.

More than 10,000 people are expected to pack the levee from the foot of Florida Street to the Old State Capitol for the annual spectacle.

"It has grown into something that is a draw for Baton Rouge. People can come from other areas of the state as well and see it, so keeping up that tradition that my grandfather started means a lot to myself and my family," Manship said.

This year's show promises to be longer and more intense than ever before, featuring new shapes and larger displays. "It's nice to know that I saw that, and it's one of the biggest in Louisiana, it makes you feel kind of special," April Dupree, a resident, said.