The Mathews Fireworks Show had to start nearly an hour early Saturday night because of an approaching rainstorm, but the not-yet-dark sky and a spattering of raindrops didn’t chase the crowd away. People were instead mesmerized by the continual displays of color and light that rained down from above.

“It was a great show,” said organizer Jeremy Elliott. “People said the grand finale was one of the best they’d seen.”

Elliott said the crowd wasn’t quite as big as it has been in the past because of the threatening weather, but there were still a lot of people spread out across the Mathews High School football field, while “more people than usual” were at Port Fun cooking on the grill and making a day of the celebration.

The gates to the free show opened at 6 p.m., with music by DJ C.J. Kelly, food by the Piankatank Ruritan Club, and plenty of opportunities to socialize and purchase raffle tickets to support next year’s show.

The fireworks were scheduled to start at 9, but sho...