Photos by James Glover II / Star staff Matt Dicecco and his daughter Samantha, 6, wait for the fireworks to start at Moorpark's Independence Festival at Arroyo Vista Community Park on Thursday. City officials estimated 10,000 people attended.

It might have been a day early, but that didn't stop 8-year-old Courtney Mahler from showing her Independence Day spirit Thursday in Moorpark.

Decked out head to toe in red, white and blue, Courtney joined her 4-year-old brother, Jason, and 25 family members and friends at the Fireworks Extravaganza at Arroyo Vista Community Park.

Courtney said she was at the event Thursday mainly for one reason.

"I'm here today especially for the fireworks grand finale," she said.

Courtney's aunt Lisa Lopez from Camarillo said the family has been going to the event for 23 years. The family, from both Camarillo and Moorpark, also plans to attend the fireworks show tonight at Camarillo High School.

"This is a two-day celebration for us. It's just good clean fun and another reason for the entire family to get together," she said.

Mary Lindley, director of community services in Moorpark, said Thursday's fireworks show was bigger than usual to commemorate the city's 25th anniversary this year. She said the fireworks display attracted an estimated 10,000 people.

This year's event included an extended fireworks show, a Commemorative Air Force vintage plane flyover, the 21st Century Skydiving Team, and patriotic and classic rock music performed by Breakaway and the Hodads.

Lindley said Moorpark's fireworks show is the first in Ventura County. Moorpark started the tradition of holding its fireworks show a day early in 1996.

As cars and people on foot streamed into the park after the gates opened at 4 p.m., Skylar Mead, 14, along with her sister Ashley, 16, as well as Priscilla Urguidez, 11, and Sarah Jo Ramsey, 15, folded fliers inside the Grace Bible Church of Moorpark booth. Visitors to their booth were asked questions about the American Revolution, and they won a candy bar if they answered them correctly.

"We stump a lot of people with our questions," Ashley Mead said with a laugh.

Patrolling the relatively quiet, yet festive, crowd at the park was the Ventura Sheriff's Mounted Enforcement Unit on horseback.

Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Roger DeWames, who rode the horse Red, said the horses are desensitized to the sound of fireworks. The unit will also patrol July 4 events in Silver Strand, Ojai and Fillmore.

DeWames said the fireworks events are usually trouble-free and the unit is on the lookout for illegal flying fireworks, especially near the brush surrounding Arroyo Vista Park.

As Arroyo Vista Park filled to capacity, latecomers traveled to surrounding parks to find a spot to watch the fireworks show.

Six-year old Alexander Taylor from Simi Valley said he was excited to see his first fireworks show, which he watched near the Arroyo Simi at nearby Glenwood Park in Moorpark.