The Mercury (Pottstown, PA)

Fireworks are a go for GoFourth!

Technician in charge of July 4 grew up watching Pottstown’s display

- By Monica Sager msager@pottsmerc.com

POTTSTOWN » The GoFourth! Festival is set to have a 20 to 30 minute firework show, according to pyro-technician Russell Lawrence from Internatio­nal Fireworks.

“It’s the first time I’m doing up there,” Lawrence said. “I want to do it right.”

Lawrence, who has been working with fireworks for 20 years, has put on displays at the Norco Fair for the past 10 to 15 years, he said. He has also put on displays at Reading Phillies games, with “megablasts.”

Even though it’s Lawrence’s first show in Pottstown, he is still familiar with the tradition.

“As a kid growing up that was always the highlight of our summer,” Lawrence said, adding that he was inspired by them to become a pyro-technician himself.

Lawrence said he brought his kids to the show as an adult too, mentioning that they would al-

ways want to sit up close to bring home “souvenir” of the “debris falling down.”

Fireworks are to start after dark, around 9 p.m.

The GoFourth! Festival’s festivitie­s start in the morning, though, with a parade at 10:15 a.m. Festivitie­s continue in Memorial Park throughout the rest of the day.

The GoFourth! committee is still looking for donations. They have currently raised “slightly over $50,000,”according to cochairper­son Amy Francis.

The event is completely funded by donations, according to Francis. Businesses and individual­s are able to sponsor various entertainm­ent providers and activities. Upper level sponsors will receive preferred seating during the firework display.

Tax-deductible donations can be made by donating online at PottstownG­oFourth.org or by sending a check made payable to the TriCounty Community Network (TCN), with “Attention: GoFourth” as the memo. Checks should be sent to Pottstown GoFourth! Festival, PO Box 1362, Pottstown PA 19464.

 ?? DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA FILE PHOTO ?? Russell Lawrence, who will run this year’s July 4th fireworks, got inspired to become a pyro-technician watching displays in Memorial Park over the years.
DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA FILE PHOTO Russell Lawrence, who will run this year’s July 4th fireworks, got inspired to become a pyro-technician watching displays in Memorial Park over the years.

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