By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City’s Fourth of July celebration culminates each year with a dazzling fireworks display that has been entertaining crowds since the 1960s and quite possibly even before then.
The tradition will continue this Tuesday when pyrotechnics light up the sky above the beaches and ocean – but with a new twist.
At the recommendation of its fireworks contractor, the city will be pushing back the start time from the usual 9 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. to take advantage of darkening skies that will provide a spectacular backdrop for the show.
“That will make for a slightly darker sky and will enhance the viewing of the fireworks,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
The holiday fireworks show usually lasts about 20 minutes. Prime viewing areas are along the beach and the oceanfront Promenade. There are usually big crowds watching the spectacle.
Custer said the city estimates that 50,000 to 70,000 visitors will be in town for the Fourth of July and that a large percentage of them will be enjoying the fireworks.
“That’s why we want it to be a fantastic show,” she said.
Fireworks aficionados may recall that Sea Isle’s Fourth of July fireworks show in 2022 was cut short by an explosion aboard a barge being used to launch the pyrotechnics just offshore.
Fortunately, all of the safety measures were in place and no one was injured on the fireworks barge anchored in the ocean off 50th Street.
Custer noted that the city has a longtime relationship with the same fireworks contractor, Pyrotecnico Fireworks Inc., and has complete confidence in the company’s professionalism and safety standards.
“Pyrotecnico has always proved to be a professional and easy-to-work-with company,” she said.
The fireworks display got underway last year as planned, but about two minutes into the show there were occasional gaps in the pyrotechnics being launched from the barge off the 50th Street beach.
A short time later, there was an explosion on the barge apparently caused by one of the 6-inch fireworks shells igniting inside its tube before it could launch into the air. The explosion resulted in further delays and a shortened fireworks show overall, according to a Sea Isle news release.
None of the Pyrotecnico employees who were on the barge were injured during the explosion. Authorities said the workers were protected from the explosion by a solid metal safety box known as a “shooter shack.”
“Last year’s incident proved that the company was doing the right thing and practicing safety measures, because no one was injured,” Custer said.
Pyrotecnico, based in New Castle, Pa., stages some of the country’s largest fireworks displays year after year.
Sea Isle had a $49,000 contract with Pyrotecnico for the Fourth of July in 2022, but the company agreed to give the city a $15,000 credit for the shortened show. The discount was partly offset by a $2,500 “barge fuel surcharge” that the city credited to Pyrotecnico for higher gas costs.
Meanwhile, in addition to the holiday fireworks on Tuesday night, Sea Isle is also providing other family-friendly entertainment to celebrate the nation’s birthday.
They include a patriotic-themed Mickey and Minnie Mouse stage show at the Excursion Park Band Shell at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 3, and the traditional Junior Olympics competition on the Fourth of July from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Dealy Field recreation complex.
A complete listing of Fourth of July events can be found at visitsicnj.com.
“There’s really something for everybody,” Custer said of the city’s holiday entertainment lineup.
