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Crowds enjoy fireworks at the National Mall for Fourth of July

Fireworks are back at the National Mall after we weren't able to watch the spectacle last year in person amid the COVID pandemic.

WASHINGTON — Crowds were once again at the National Mall to watch the fireworks on Sunday as COVID-19 numbers continue to drop and vaccinations continue to increase

Last year, the pandemic forced the National Park Service to ask people to stay home and watch the Independence Day fireworks show virtually.

Mike Litterst, chief of communications for the National Mall and Memorial Parks, says tens of thousands of visitors were expected on the Mall Sunday night.

"To fully, openly embrace visitors coming down and experiencing what we have to offer and capping it off [with] what's going to be the largest fireworks show in the country, it is very special," he said. "The fireworks were securely anchored, covered with plastic as they are every night and they were completely unaffected by the storm."

Veronica Trejo Horney, visited DC from South Carolina, and was in the crowd to watch the fireworks.

"The Fourth of July is a special moment for me," she said. "I became a U.S., American citizen three years ago...I feel so proud to be part of this big nation."

Her husband Steven was watching right beside her. He's wanted to see the celebration in person for years. That dream finally becomes reality in 2021.

"This is a bucket list thing for me," he said.

It's a bucket list event that even a confirmed tornado near the Mall on Thursday of last week couldn't stop.

RELATED: Those really were tornadoes in Arlington, on the National Mall and on H Street

Whether you plan to watch in person or virtually like retired Montgomery County teacher Richard McCarthy, many see this celebration as a mile marker on the road back to normal.

"People should feel like we're back," said McCarthy. "We've got a lot of work to do in this country and so this, this is a good place to start."

RELATED: LIST: Here's a look at the expected road closures, what you can expect on the Fourth of July in DC

Just as fast as people showed up Sunday for the spectacle, they left just as quickly to beat the traffic created down near the National Mall.  

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