This week on Hey! Michelle with a Mic, Michelle sits down with Katie Walters, Promotions Director for iHeartRadio Cincinnati and Executive Producer of the 50th Western & Southern WEBN Fireworks, to talk about the career, community, and Cincinnati tradition behind one of the city’s biggest nights of the year.

Katie shares how a high school promotional gig and plenty of persistence launched a 25-year career in radio and entertainment, along with some unforgettable stories from backstage, concerts, and years spent creating experiences for the Cincinnati community.

Then, it’s all about the BOOM. For the golden 50th anniversary, the WEBN Fireworks are going bigger than ever: six barges, 75 firing positions, 50,000 effects, two simultaneous drone shows and a 40-minute fireworks spectacular designed to surround the riverfront like a “snow globe.”

Katie and Michelle look back at what the fireworks have meant to generations of Cincinnatians, how the tradition has evolved over five decades, and what it takes behind the scenes to pull off a celebration of this scale.

Plus: Billy Idol, backstage stories, stolen speakers, throwback WEBN memories, Third Eye Blind, and a finale Katie promises is going to be absolutely epic.

It’s 50 years of music, memories, community, and one very big BOOM.