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Fireworks to dazzle downtown sky
By Justin Goble
Local residents and visitors will get fireworks and more when they come downtown for this year’s Fourth of July celebration.
More than 1,600 fireworks will light up the old Courthouse as soon as night falls Tuesday evening. The show, a 24-year tradition in Sylva, is again organized by the Jackson County Recreation Department.
“This is the most unique fireworks show in North Carolina, if only because of the location” said Jeff Carpenter, Recreation Department director. “There’s nothing like it anywhere else. I’ve always had a love affair with the Courthouse, so it’s great to do a fireworks show there. It is our landmark.”
As in past years, between 15,000 and 20,000 people are expected to pack Main Street, Carpenter said.
Melrose Pyrotechnics, the same company that produces Stone Mountain’s laser and fireworks show and was used at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games, will provide fireworks again this year. Carpenter said they will meet all expectations and put on a spectacular show, but people should expect something new this year.
Sylva Police will start roping off Main Street when all the parking spaces are full, which Carpenter said usually happens around 6 p.m. Officers will reroute traffic for the evening’s festivities, and direct showgoers out of downtown once the “booms and bangs” have ended.
“The Sylva Police do an outstanding job,” Carpenter said. “If people follow the police officers’ directions, everyone will get safely in and out of town.”
Along with the fireworks show, music is planned to start at 6 p.m, with Matt Stillwell hitting the stage to play country music for the downtown audience. Tammie Norris will sing some old-time country tunes starting around 7 p.m., and the Bobby Sullivan Band will follow with contemporary rock and Top 40 music.
Local vendors will also set up along Main Street Tuesday evening. The Jackson County Rescue Squad will sell hot dogs to raise money for a new building, and members of the Golden Age Senior Center will offer lemonade and baked goods to raise funds for their trip to the state Senior Games in Raleigh. Sylva First and Buff Creek Baptist Church are also expected to have food available. Vendors have to be invited by the Recreation Department, and any vendor without an invitation will be asked to leave.
Children will be able to try their hand at stacking Oreo cookies and spitting watermelon seeds in contests offered between the musical performers.
WRGC will be the source for show news, and any weather-related delays will be broadcast. If the show is cancelled due to rain, the station will relay that to listeners and inform them of the make-up date.
Carpenter is encouraging everyone to bring their radios, since the station will broadcast patriotic music for patrons to listen to while they watch the fireworks display.
While the fireworks, bands and vendors are great reasons for folks to come downtown to watch the spectacle, it’s also a good chance to get out and socialize, Carpenter said.
“It’s best for people to come early to get a good place to see the fireworks from,” Carpenter said. “I’ve heard they can be seen all the way back to the Sav-Mor parking lot. But we really want people to come downtown to see the vendors and listen to the music, along with just milling around and talking to their friends.”
Though he wants as many people as possible to line Main Street, Carpenter said there are safety issues that have to be considered, since the area is not as spacious as other fireworks shows. Because safety issues are a big concern, anyone who doesn’t follow them may cause a delay in the show, Carpenter.
“We have a 350-foot safety zone, and no one can be in that area,” Carpenter said. “The closest anyone will be able to get is Wachovia Bank. If people get any closer, they will be asked to move back or we will stop the fireworks. Safety is a big concern, since we have to worry about large sparks coming down.”
People will also not be allowed to set off fireworks on or around Main Street.
“It would be bad if someone set off a bottle rocket and it landed in one of our fireworks boxes,” Carpenter said.
Despite these concerns, Carpenter said he and his staff are prepared for Tuesday’s festivities, and he expects this year’s show to be as big of a success as those before it.
For more information, call the Recreation Department at 293-3053.
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