The largest Fourth of July crowd in Tioga Downs history watched live harness racing and one of the area’s biggest fireworks shows last Thursday.

A total of 8,549 people, the 10th largest attendance in the eight-year history of Tioga Downs, were entertained by 10 live harness races, a trackside concert by the Kirby Band, and a spectacular fireworks display that lit up the skies of Tioga County.

“Between our annual Kentucky Derby Fest, camel and ostrich races and our recent summer carnival, Tioga Downs Racing continues to rank as one of the Southern Tier’s premier entertainment destinations,” said Jason M. Settlemoir, the track's vice president of Racing and Simulcast. “We take great pride in putting on big events that attract thousands of guests of all ages from our area and beyond.”

The 2013 racing season has already seen several other major attendance milestones. The Opening Day/Kentucky DerbyFest crowd of 11,095 ranked as third-highest attendance of all-time. More than 5,700 fans crowded into the track last month for the 2nd annual Camel and Ostrich races, the second-largest Sunday racing crowd of all time.

The live racing season continues through September 14 on a Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon schedule.

(Tioga)