Epic Fireworks Blog

Posts Tagged ‘United States’

There is little more loved than a combination of things most of us know and love – TV theme’s and Fireworks.  With some instantly recognisable themes like Seinfeld, Cheers and Friends, it would be difficult not to sing along.

The annual fireworks display is one of the largest of its kind in the USA and is said to set the scene for the forthcoming Derby Festival, the home of the world-famous Kentucky Derby.

The event, which began way back in 1990, uses an average of 25 tonnes of pyro which is laid out on multiple barges on the river as well as lining the banks and on the bridge which spans the beautiful Ohio River.

The fireworks this year are once again being handled by one of the firework industry’s forerunners, Zambelli International Fireworks own master pyrotechnician Ray Loffredo.  No stranger to pyro-musical, Mr Loffredo and his team are world leaders in technical innovation and are responsible for some arguably the most beautiful displays in the World and they choreograph and create over 1600 shows annually to the delight of tens of thousands of people.

Zambelli Fireworks set up in business when they moved from their native Italy 120 years ago and they have never looked back.

The Thunder Over Louisville event was moved in 1991 and grew and grew.  In 1997, they added an airshow into the mix and today, it remains one of the biggest events in the firework calendar.

Related Thunder Over Louisville articles

• 24th annual Thunder Over Louisville kicks off Kentucky Derby Festival
• 24th Annual Thunder Over Louisville kicks off Kentucky Derby Festival
• Zambelli family begins preps for Thunder
• Thunder Over Louisville Fireworks 2012…
• Ohio River span closes to prepare for Thunder
• Thunder Over Louisville closures begin Thursday
• Thunder Over Louisville guests urged to plan ahead

There appears to have been a massive increase in festive spirit lately and nowhere more so that in the USA at the moment.

As the US celebrate Thanksgiving, it is easy to see why their holiday spirit is already well established and they appear to keep the momentum going all the way through until New Year.

With Christmas just around the corner now, we have been searching for some of the big events which are planning to feature fireworks in their holiday build up celebrations.

Here are just a few and a little about the upcoming events:

PLOUGHKEEPSIE – NEW YORK

Ploughkeepsie has held an annual Celebration of Lights for the last 9-years and this year is no different.  Including a parade to the shore’s of the Hudson River, there will be a huge fireworks display, a tree lighting ceremony and Santa arriving in Town on the back of a fire engine.  The event costs $5 to attend if you wish to stand on the Bridge over the Hudson but I am quite sure that the fireworks will be seen from all across the City for no cost but as they will be collecting for good causes, I am sure a couple of dollars will find their way into the collection buckets even for those who are unable to visit the River themselves.

MAT-SU VALLEY – SOUTH CENTRAL ALASKA

The town has a long tradition of staring the Winter Holiday season with a fireworks display.  It continues to take place on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and is entering its 14^th Year.  Events will include a tree lighting ceremony, the Annual Bachelor’s Ball/Wilderness Woman competitions and is really about celebrating community spirit in the region.

The event is sponsored by businessman Stan Guthrie who sees the event as his opportunity to give back to the community who support small local businesses like his throughout the year.  He has a saying ‘Fireworks spark laughter which builds communities’ which he will strive to continue for as long as he can afford to do so.

WITCHITA – KANSAS

The people of Witchita Kansasare having a ‘Night With Santa’ on Tuesday 4^th December between 6:00pm and 8:30pm.  There will be a tree lighting ceremony  carnival games, bingo, a cake walk (a bit like musical chairs but you win a cake when you are standing on the right numbered square), a benefit concert and of course, some stunning pyro.

The fireworks will be lit over the beautiful Arkansas River and I am sure will be absolutely stunning.

MANHATTAN – NEW YORK

Manhattan New York celebrates the Centennial of the City with a HUGE fireworks event on December 9^th.  There will be two massive state of the art pyro shows set across 8 locations on the Beach and the Pier. The firers have referred to it as a ‘dream show’ and it is certain to wow visitors to the area for its sheer size.

The event will also include the snow-park, five soft sled runs and bouncing balloons.  Whilst there is no admission to the event, donations of tinned food, unwrapped gifts or cash are accepted as this will be taken for charity.

The event also includes a flyover by the US Navy, a dance party and a rock and roll band.

The upshot of it all is, whilst we do things on a much smaller scale, we are not shy when it comes to celebrating Christmas.  Whether yours is a deeply religious affair, an opportunity to get the family together once a year or indeed a fun filled event, fireworks can only add to the magic so get yourself along to EPIC FIREWORKS for all your pyro needs.

We are open every day until 5pm on Christmas Eve and re-open on 27^th December until New Year’s Eve.  If you have any questions about fireworks, we are here to help so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

This is a video from my friend David DeSafey from the USA. Dave runs an American firework forum called PyroTalk.com

The video above a ‘set up in the daytime’ of the fireworks display taking place called “Thunder Over Muse 2012″.

A good friend of Dave’s is Joe. Every year Joe gathers donations from the local community to put on an epic fireworks display in his home town of Muse Pennsylvania for the July 4th celebrations. Dave has helped Joe every year in organizing the fireworks display. The video includes setting up a 1.3 fireworks for a small community and Dave demonstrates different techniques of electric match and electronic firing.

The video below is of the action from the night. Great show everyone :)

For all our American friends who would like to take the next step and buy 1.3 professional fireworks like salutes, Thunder Kings etc.? Then you will need an ATF license. Dave sells an awesome DVD application package that walks you through the procedure.

Please visit Dave’s site for more information – http://pyrotalk.com/shopping.php