 Stars, stripes, and lots of fun. That is what Grand View Lodges Party at the Pines is all about. The annual event is held at the resort's on-site golf course as a way to kick off the week's 4th of July celebration. It's one of my favorite events of the year. I just love seeing the families out having a good time. I've talked to a lot of people that roam around and talked to a lot of people and they're having a good time. That's what the 4th of July in the Brainerd Lakes area is. The event takes place every year on the 2nd of July and includes concerts by two local bands, food and beverages, blow-up games, bouncy houses, face painting, and much more. You know, it's grown over the last several years. The crowd is just fantastic. We get a mix of people that are staying at the resort along with a lot of the locals come out and enjoy this also. It caught a great evening tonight. Over 3,000 people came out to celebrate and take part in the festivities with their families and friends. I just want to enjoy some great fun. I've never been to one and this year I decided to bring my son out. He's enjoyed so many different activities and the face painting has been great. The night was topped off with a great fireworks display overlooking the golf course. The event has grown from what used to be solely a fireworks display to a huge party with activities for the entire family. After the second year, I'm like, you know, we have a big beautiful area, host a lot of people. So we started adding food and we had our Bev Karts sound here. Some people buy a drink. Then we started, after a year after that, we added the bands. Then we just kept on adding things. And now we have a 24-foot climbing wall. There's all kinds of kids' activities for them to do and the kids have the parents can come out and it's a pretty controlled area. Let the kids run, have a good time. No matter what your age, there is something for everybody at this annual celebration. We got a nice crowd, a lot of kids, a lot of families. We just like to cater to that because it's a nice opportunity for us to interact with just a variety of people. So we're going to have a party tonight at the Pines. Reporting from Neswa, Rachel Johnson, Lakeland News.