As folks wait for the U.S. Bank Fireworks Show to begin, vendors fill their bellies and keep them busy

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- As people packed Milwaukee's lakefront hours in advance of the fireworks show on Thursday, July 3rd -- they had to fill the time somehow -- and there were plenty of vendors available to help with that.

From snacks to Segways, there were plenty of options for keeping folks amused while they waited for the U.S. Bank Fireworks Show to being.

The show kicks off around 9:30 p.m. Thursday night, July 3rd.

FOX6's LIVE coverage begins at 9:00 p.m.

Spending July 3rd along the lakefront presents a bit of a feast for your senses.

FOX6 News spoke with a couple of food vendors on Thursday afternoon. They started serving customers around 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. Thursday.

They say things typically kick into high gear during the afternoon hours.

"Oh it`s crazy! We`ll be kind of on and off until we hit about 2:00 and then 2:00 -- for instance last year, I think our line made it almost down to the next pathway. It was probably three or four blocks long," Chris Jourdan with the Eats and Treats food truck said.

Jourdan says they typically stay that busy right up until 11:00 or 11:30 p.m.

Urban Kettle Owner Andrew Glover says on a day like this, it's not unusual to see customers come back two, three -- even four times for more kettle corn!

"Once we start popping and that smell gets in the air, you know, it just hooks, you know, even if you`re allergic to popcorn it`s like ugh I`m going to get some! When it`s a long event like this, you know, they might buy our smaller bag and then come back and just pace themselves," Glover said.

But you can only spend so much time eating.

Some took a break from filling their bellies to take a tour of Veterans Park.

"The kids get up front and they`re like 'oh yeah I`m going to ring the bell! I`m going to ring the bell!' You have no idea how many bells we fix," Eris Campbell with Milwaukee Bike and Skate Rental said.

July 3rd and 4th are a bit of a marathon for Milwaukee Bike and Skate Rental workers -- as bike after bike could be seen circling Veterans Park on Thursday.

"A lot of people come early and even camp out in the park and then from there they`ll come over here, they`ll ride our bikes and go back -- barbecue, and then come back and ride some more," Campbell said.

These vendors say the holiday provides them an opportunity to rake in some money.

Eats and Treats workers say a good night would net them somewhere in the $8,000 to $10,000 range.

At Urban Kettle -- they're hoping to dish out close to 500 bags of popcorn.