Focusing time lapse for simpleton!

With the fourth of July coming up I am hoping to catch some great shots of our towns celebration.
I have been messing with time lapse photos of lightning of late but have had no luck in focusing the camera to get a clear shot.

Are there any tips or tricks to this?

Stop down to f8+, use a tripod, set your lens to manual focus, and focus just past the hyperfocal point of the lens you are using. Usually depending on equipment and your location setting to infinity will suffice.

thanks alot..

I have a rebel xt and was using the 55mm lens it came with. I'm not sure how good this lens really is as anytime I get back more then 10ft from anything the quality goes out the window.