St. Leonard, MD,PyroJam – a day-into-night festival featuring live music plus two hours of fireworks by some of the world’s top pyrotechnic choreographers – will hold its first annual fireworks competition on Sat., May 28. PyroJam will be held at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum located at 10515 Mackall Rd. in St. Leonard, Md. Gates open at 3 p.m., and the two-hour fireworks show begins at 8:30 p.m.

The event showcases pyromusicals – or “concerts in the sky” – which combine various firework sounds, colors and effects meticulously timed down to the 1/100^th of a second for complete synchronization with the accompanying soundtracks.

PyroJam is presented by Innovative Pyrotechnic Concepts (IPC), an award-winning Southern Maryland pyrotechnics company that produces more than 200 shows per year ranging from festivals and private events to amusement parks and professional sports teams in the Southern Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Greater DC areas.

IPC partnered with Finale 3D, the world’s most advanced fireworks display choreography software company, to host a pre-PyroJam international virtual design competition. Pyrotechnic choreographers submitted their pyromusical designs, and the top three selected finalists will have their shows produced and fired at PyroJam by IPC. A panel of judges will award a total of $5,000 in cash prizes to the competition winners based upon their show’s design originality, artistry, synchronization, and quality.

Musical entertainment includes Uncle Jesse – a DC-based band highlighting ‘90s and ‘00s hits – from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Kevin Mac & The Homies – featuring Virginia singer/songwriter Kevin Mac and his classic country sounds – from 5 to 6 p.m.; and headliner The Reagan Years – known as the East Coast’s original ‘80s tribute band – from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

PyroJam includes an interactive Kids Zone area from 3 to 7 p.m. A wide variety of food and beverages will be available for purchase at more than 20 food trucks from 3 to 9 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Southern Maryland Food Bank, which has served the tri-county area of Southern Maryland since 1983.