“If Hardtner was still doing their fireworks we wouldn't do this in Kiowa. We loved Hardtner's tradition,” Kiowa woman Jenna Mostert said.

Last year Mostert and her husband Will and their friends Jarrod and Sammi Inman and many other of their friends who had shot fireworks together for years decided to go big. The group began asking for donations and they put on a spectacular aerial fireworks display in 2022. Everyone loved it so much they started donating for the 2023 show.

The friends held a 50/50 raffle recently. One-half of the money was to purchase fireworks and the other half went into a...