June 24, 2025
Leesburg Lightning to Headline July 4th Festivities with Fireworks Over Lake Harris
By Kyle Coppola
Leesburg Lightning to Headline July 4th Festivities with Fireworks Over Lake Harris
The defending champions of the Florida Collegiate Summer League, the Leesburg Lightning, will light up the diamond and the sky this Independence Day in a highly anticipated matchup against the Winter Garden Squeeze.
First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday, July 4, at historic Pat Thomas Stadium, where fans can enjoy one of the league’s top rivalries just steps from the lakefront. The game is part of Leesburg’s annual Star Spangled Spectacular, a citywide celebration presented by Summit Broadband.
(The stands at Pat Thomas Stadium are usually packed and sold out so arrive early if possible.)
Following the game, spectators will have a front-row seat to a dazzling fireworks show over Lake Harris, beginning at 9 p.m. Pat Thomas Stadium is considered one of the best vantage points in town for the display.
Festivities kick off at 4 p.m. at Ski Beach Park, just down the road from the stadium, featuring family-friendly entertainment, food vendors, live music, and patriotic activities for all ages.
With America’s pastime and fireworks coming together on one of the country’s most cherished holidays, the city of Leesburg is inviting the community and visitors to celebrate in red, white, and blue style.
The Leesburg Lightning are currently 2nd in the FCSL standings with a 12-7 record. The Sanford River Rats are 18-1 and lead the FCSL standings. It’s going to be an awesome night!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
