The key ingredient in fireworks was invented in the ninth century by the Chinese to ward off evil spirits.

The rescheduled fireworks are set to go off at dusk on Sunday, August 20, over Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs.

The fate of the iconic annual August fireworks show in Oak Bluffs is no longer in jeopardy: Summercamp, formerly the Wesley Hotel, has made a three-year financial commitment to the event.

The 40th anniversary of the annual Oak Bluffs fireworks display will be the biggest yet, and may be the last.

Blankets and beach chairs dotted Ocean Park by early afternoon on Friday as fireworks revelers marked their spots for the annual display.

The annual fireworks show returns tonight with promise of a spectacular show, but also increased security.

“There are going to be some noticeable changes to events this year,” police chief Erik Blake informed the town selectmen at a recent annual summer taxpayers meeting.

The show attracts thousands to Ocean Park.

A wedding rehearsal fireworks display will be on full view next week in Edgartown.

The town selectmen this week approved an application for fireworks on June 14 at 9 p.m. from a barge off Fuller street beach.

The application was submitted by the Lobianco family, and the fireworks will be for a wedding rehearsal dinner with 190 people.

Oak Bluffs fire chief Dennis P. Alley was especially pleased with the fireworks on Friday. The display in the night sky was the spectacle everyone has come to expect over the years. Below, Ocean Park was ready for the thousands of spectators who gathered to watch from its lush, grassy lawns.

Investigations continue as state and local fire officials pursue the exact cause of the fire and explosion that cut Edgartown's Independence Day fireworks display short last week.

Tomorrow is party time in Oak Bluffs. From noon well into night, the town will celebrate the arrival of summer. There will be fireworks at night, a show that organizers say will rival the way Oak Bluffs celebrates the end of summer in August.

The day marks the merger of two big events in the season: the first day of summer, and the 17th annual Harbor Festival.