WYSO Curious is our occasional series where you ask questions, and our reporters answer them online and on air. Listener Aaron Hill wanted to know more about how local communities get the fireworks for their Fourth of July celebrations. WYSO Curious producer Liam Niemeyer takes us behind the scenes of Dayton鈥檚 鈥淟ights in Flight鈥� fireworks show.
I wanted to get an idea of how long people think it takes to set up Dayton鈥檚 fireworks show. So last Thursday, I went to Riverscape MetroPark in downtown Dayton and asked around. The answers ranged from a few hours to a few days, but planning for Dayton鈥檚 fireworks show actually starts months before the fourth of July.
鈥淏ecause we鈥檙e a city organization, we have to go through a bidding process, have to come up with specifications on what we鈥檙e looking for in the show. We put out a request for purchase, and then we put bids back on what different fireworks companies will provide for us," says Lamonte Hall Jr., Recreation and Youth Services Program Coordinator for the city of Dayton.
Multiple city departments are involved in deciding what streets to close downtown, where to put fencing around deed鈥檚 park, and more. Hall鈥檚 job is to receive the bids from fireworks companies who want to put on the Dayton Independence day show - like Rozzi Famous Fireworks.
鈥淎nytime you do the bidding process, it鈥檚 always stressful. Because you don鈥檛 know whether you鈥檙e going to get it or not. Naturally, you want it. Definitely, because it鈥檚 in your own backyard. And you鈥檇 hate to see some company come in from out of state and get the show,鈥� says Tom Fagan, Sales Director for the Cincinnati-based company. Rozzi did Dayton鈥檚 fireworks show for the last three years. But their contract with the city expired in 2016. Meaning they had to compete with four other fireworks companies to return to Dayton this year.
鈥淟et鈥檚 put it this way. We do a lot of praying. [laughs] And that鈥檚 no joke," says Fagan.
City officials like Hall consider bids based on cost and show design, and this year Rozzi was chosen again. Dayton will pay more than 50-thousand for this year鈥檚 fireworks display - made up of taxpayer money and sponsorship dollars from local businesses.
That鈥檚 good news for Tom Fagan, but it only gets busier from there. Dayton鈥檚 show is one of dozens Rozzi is setting up for around the Fourth of July holiday, 鈥淲e鈥檙e in Kentucky, we鈥檙e in Indiana, we鈥檙e in Ohio, we鈥檙e around home in our tri-state area. But like I said we鈥檙e out in Minnesota. And there鈥檚 quite a few amusement parks that we鈥檙e getting ready to do their fireworks for.鈥�
Last week Rozzi loaded up their equipment and fireworks and brought them from their warehouse in Wilmington to downtown Dayton.
When I arrived at Deed鈥檚 Park on Thursday morning, the fireworks crew was in full swing getting set up.
"This is my vacation.鈥� [laughs] 鈥淔ireworks vacation," says Dave Wallen. He has set up fireworks with Rozzi for three years. But for him and others on the crew this is only a part-time job. Wallen is taking vacation time from a job at a glass company in Beavercreek to work with Rozzi. And he kind of smells like gunpowder.
鈥淲henever I get home, my dog comes up to me, sniffs me, and probably thinks, 鈥榙ang, you have to go and smell like that again. [laughs]鈥�
Wallen and eight other workers are building what they call 鈥済uns鈥� in an abandoned parking lot. These guns are orange and black fiberglass tubes that stand three to six feet tall. They鈥檙e using nail guns to build wooden racks around the tubes. On the night of the show, these 鈥済uns鈥� shoot the fireworks.
George Parker III describes what it's like, 鈥淏asically when you鈥檙e down here at ground-zero during the show, it鈥檚 basically raining fire. It鈥檚 pretty chaotic. It鈥檚 controlled chaos as I like to call it.鈥�
Safety is key throughout all of this. City of Dayton fire inspectors check inside every gun for flammable debris or damage.
The Rozzi fireworks crew spends four days building, wiring and loading hundreds of guns in the hot sun. They don鈥檛 get paid much. It takes a lot of passion to work with fireworks.
But Krissy, the only woman on the crew, says the reward often comes right after the show, 鈥淐heers and clapping and laughing. And not that we ever get out there and see the crowd. But when you see videos of little children and their faces light up? That鈥檚 why I do it.鈥�
The City of Dayton鈥檚 fireworks display is Monday, July 3rd at 10pm. Rozzi is also responsible for Kettering and Centerville's fireworks displays, which are both Tuesday, July 4th at 10pm.
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