BIG Bang THEORY
With fewer displays staged on July 4, look to the sky all year for fireworks
Ever since John Adams declared in July 1776 that America’s Declaration of Independence should be marked annually with “pomp and parade … bonfires and illuminations” from sea to sea for all posterity, fireworks have been inextricably linked with the celebration of Independence Day.
But, as quintessentially American as they may be, fireworks displays on the actual Fourth of July have become less universal.
That’s not to say that Americans’ appetites for the sights, sounds and smells of pyrotechnic spectacle have fizzled. But, factors that range from fireworks regulations to crowd control costs to competing interests for families have resulted in some shifting traditions in the staging of those patriotic aerial works of art.
“Professional fireworks displays are more popular than ever,” said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, a trade organization for fireworks distributors, manufacturers and display companies. But, she acknowledged the celebrations have spilled over to the days on either end of the Fourth.
Fireworks “consumption” — calculated by the pound — totaled 225.3 million in 2014, according to data compiled by Ms. Heckman’s association, based on reports from the Commerce Department and International Trade Commission.
That’s 201.6 million pounds of consumer fireworks — those bought and used by
nonprofessionals — and 23.7 million pounds of display fireworks produced by professional firms.
In 2000, the total was 152.2 million pounds.
Ms. Heckman said some 14,000 fireworks displays will be staged to celebrate Independence Day this year, but many of those will be spread out over “the few days encompassing the actual Fourth of July.”
The reason comes down to numbers.
“There are not enough fireworks companies, equipment and technicians to do every show on the Fourth,” she said. Increased regulations for transporting explosives translates to more demands on professional display companies, which limits the number of shows that can be staged during a traditional show time.
This is coupled with the reality that local sponsoring organizations — typically municipalities and civic associations — have realized they can get more bang for their buck by moving their fireworks shows to the days preceding or following July 4.
“Basically, it’ll either cost less or they’ll get more for what they’re spending if they’re willing to move the date a little bit,” Ms. Heckman said.
George Zambelli Jr. — a medical doctor who specializes in treating cataracts by day and a painter of the skies by night — agrees. And he should know: He is a thirdgeneration operator of Zambelli Fireworks International of New Castle. His son, Jared Zambelli, is also in the business.
“Back in the 1950s and ’60s, almost all displays were on the Fourth. There weren’t as many regulations. Shows weren’t as big. We could go to a show with 20 or 30 mortars. Now, we need hundreds or thousands of mortars. There are only so many qualified technicians and electrical systems [now used to fire the explosives],’’ Dr. Zambelli said.
Expanding the July 4 market by a few days opens that bottleneck.
He referenced one of the biggest shows in the region — Beaver County BOOM — and the organizers’ decision five years ago to move the display from July 4. This year, it was held June 27 in Bridgewater, also visible in Beaver, Rochester and Monaca.
“They couldn’t come up with the funds to do the show on July Fourth,” said Dr. Zambelli, who provides the display and also donates to the show. He said civic leaders decided to shift the event to the Saturday before the Fourth. “Now, it’s bigger and more people can come to it. It’s not competing with family picnics and other events,” he said.
Cranberry manager Jerry Andree said township officials decided in 2006 to move away from the longtime tradition of celebrating Community Day on July 4 with a fireworks finale.
“The driver wasn’t so much the fireworks costs themselves. It was the overtime costs for township support staff, police, public works. And [the employees] couldn’t get to enjoy the holiday with their families [because they were working],” Mr. Andree said. Combined with the need for volunteers to stage the other Community Day events and the fact that enthusiasm for volunteering on the holiday was somewhat waning, the date of the event was moved.
“We saved money. Our employees got their holiday. We were able to get more volunteers. Moving Community Day was a good move,” he said of the event that draws about 30,000 people. This year, the festival will run three days beginning July 9. And, as usual, the finale will be fireworks on July 11.
Not every community has decided to make the switch, though. Mt. Lebanon continues to celebrate Independence Day on July 4, and the fireworks are a main event.
“It’s tradition,” said David Donnellan, director of recreation. “We’re sensitive to controlling costs. But, our residents seem to value this service [on July 4], and as long as they continue to value it, we’ll continue to provide it,’’ he said.
Andrea Iglar, communications director for South Fayette, said officials recently grappled with the possibility of shifting this year’s Independence Day celebration, which — bucking the current trend — the township has celebrated on July 3 for at least two decades.
Late last year, neighboring Upper St. Clair approached South Fayette with the idea of partnering for a fireworks display on July 4. The time was ripe for reconsideration of the tradition because South Fayette’s usual spot for firing the display will soon be unavailable because of land development plans.
“There was a lot of discussion on the pros and cons, initially among staff then with the parks and recreation board then with the board of commissioners. In the end, we decided to put the idea on our [township] Facebook page to see what residents thought. We got a ton of response — the most we’ve had on any subject since we started our page in December,” Ms. Iglar said.
More favored keeping the fireworks on July 3 — at least for this year, while the land for the staging area remains available. As for when the fireworks will be shown next year, that’s still being discussed.
Dan Creagan of Bellevue, Neb., president of the Pyrotechnics Guild International, an organization of some 3,000 amateur and professional fireworks enthusiasts, said people are passionate about fireworks.
“For the past 400 years, fireworks have done nothing but increase in complexity and beauty. Add that to the very real feeling that fireworks are linked with our nation’s feelings of pride and patriotism and, well, people care about this,” he said.
He also predicted that Americans’ love affair with fireworks in general will continue to push the industry in directions that ultimately will broaden that psychic connection between pyrotechnics and Independence Day. He said that expansion started with using fireworks as a draw to sporting events and now those flashy skylights are being tapped to herald the start of the Christmas shopping season and the New Year.
Ms. Heckman, of the pyrotechnics trade association, put it this way: “The Fourth of July remains the bread and butter of our industry, but we get the apple pie and ice cream the rest of the year.”
She said that, in the past decade, fireworks have been incorporated into a multitude of less conventional events from minor league baseball games to music festivals to private events such as weddings. One of the newest trends is daytime fireworks. “That’s an untapped market right now, but I think we may be seeing a lot more of that in the future,” she said.
Dr. Zambelli said his company does some 2,200 shows annually but only about half now are associated with Independence Day.
“The market outside July Fourth is growing tremendously,” he said. He said his shows have contributed to filling seats at major league ballparks, football stadiums and rock concerts. Now, they’re lighting up the skies to celebrate the opening of a casino or a shopping center.
Additionally, he said, the development of technology that allows for closer proximity and low-level fireworks enables displays to be staged in smaller venues. “That means we can do weddings, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs. Anything, really,” he said. Stephen Vitale, owner and president of Pyrotecnico of New Castle and a fourth-generation pyrotechnician, agrees with his competitor. Staging some 2,600 shows annually, Mr. Vitale said the passing decades have stood witness to the evolution of an industry that now is virtually year-round.
“There may not be as many shows right on July Fourth, but people can go to fireworks shows somewhere all year,” he said.
He said he believes entities such as professional baseball and retailers began to see about 20 years ago the potential for tapping into people’s primal love of fireworks. He points to Disney. Then, other sports and the music industry followed, making Pyrotecnico busy not just in July any longer, but from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Now, November and December are becoming “big,” he said.
“People are kicking off the shopping season after Thanksgiving. Cities are having light-up nights and New Year’s Eve celebrations,” he said. And smaller-venue shows by private individuals are on the rise, especially among brides who are yearning for the glitz of sky art for their big day. “I did over 200 weddings in 2014,” he said.
Dr. Zambelli summed it up: “It’s a magical form of entertainment. Humans are drawn to fire. You put metallic salts with fire and create color and we can’t take our eyes off them. Add the sound, the smell, the feeling. Well, there’s some mysticism to it.”
“For the past 400 years, fireworks have done nothing but increase in complexity and beauty. Add that to the very real feeling that fireworks are linked with our nation’s feelings of pride and patriotism and, well, people care about this” Dan Creagan, president Pyrotechnics Guild International