Fireworks

[NYatKNIGHT]

I was out on Pier 46 last night, and suddenly some giant fireworks show started down by the Statue of Liberty. It was a spectacular show, even from that distance. Did anyone else see it, and does anyone know what they were for? I couldn't find anything on the web. Some people suggested it was in honor of Ronald Reagan, but this was at least 20 minutes long and choreographed, could not have been so spontaneous.

We need a fireworks thread since this city has the best, so let's start one here.

[krulltime]

A friend in tribeca told me the same. I though it was a joke. I did not hear anything on the news. I even sugested that there was some thunder happening because I saw some flashes of light in the sky last night from my apartment. But was it thunder?

[BrooklynRider]

Actually....

Sheryl Crow shot a "live" concert music segment last night for this year's Macy's 4th of July Spectacular. (Look for me - I'm in the audience). The fireworks were shot last night and a couple of nights ago for filiming purposes. (To get the fireworks & Statue of Liberty in one shot - remember the fireworks are actually on the East River).

Sheryl was late, played the same song four times, played a lame version of "If it makes you happy" and then abruptly thanked everyone and ended the show - possibly because it was 11PM.

She shot her scene on Fulton Landing with the Downtown skyline as the backdrop and with the Brooklyn Bridge lit brilliantly from below. Everyone was commenting on how great the city skyline was as a backdrop.

[NYatKNIGHT]

It just goes to show you, you can't trust anything you see on t.v., especially any fireworks shows, but whatever, it was a real treat for all those who happened to be out on the waterfront. Thanks, BrooklynRider.

[krulltime]

FIREWORKS FIT FOR A 'LADY'


June 26, 2004

New York's Fourth of July fireworks spectacular will head west this year in honor of the Statue of Liberty.

A new fireworks barge will be placed in New Jersey waters near the statue during the festivities, in celebration of the statue's reopening this summer.

In July, the Statue of Liberty's pedestal — though not the internal spiral staircase to the crown — is set to be reopened to the public after being closed for security reasons since 9/11.

This will be the first time since the millennial celebration in July 2000, when a barge was moored near the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum, that the fireworks have been launched on the West Side.

The government of Jersey City and The Star-Ledger of Newark are helping to pay for the New Jersey barge in the display, said Elena Kazan, a spokeswoman for Macy's, which sponsors the show.

In addition to the Statue of Liberty display, fireworks will be set off from their traditional East Side locations, between 23rd and 42nd streets and by the South Street Seaport.

The show, America's largest fireworks display, is scheduled to begin at 9:20 p.m. on Sunday, July 4.


Copyright 2004 NYP Holdings, Inc.

[Ninjahedge]

I could never understand why they did the fireworks over on the other side of the river like that.....

Like they were for NYers only? that there weren't going to be a bunch of people in Hoboken, JC, Edgewater, North Bergen, West NY, Weehawken, etc etc all coming to the shore to try to see them. Lets put them as far south as possible and keep the biggest buildings between them and the rest of the country....


:P

[JMGarcia]

The fireworks last night over the Hudson off of Chelsea Piers were for gay pride day.

[ManhattanKnight]

Originally Posted by Ninjahedge

I could never understand why they did the fireworks over on the other side of the river like that.....

It wasn't always so: The first Macy's 4th of July fireworks show that I saw, in the mid-1970's, was staged over the Hudson River off Riverside Park.

[Ninjahedge]

There was another that was like that maybe 7 or 8 years ago I think....

Oh, and you are right about last nights. We were able to see some of them from a rooftop in Hoboken (through a gap). A lot of purpole and pink...

[BigMac]

Newsday
July 1, 2004

Bigger bang for the Fourth

BY MARSHAND BOONE
Staff Writer

The nation's largest Fourth of July fireworks display has gotten larger this year.

Along with traditional spectator viewing areas for the Macy's annual fireworks display in midtown Manhattan and around the South Street Seaport, an additional show has been added in honor of the reopening of the Statue of Liberty slated for next month. This year, fireworks will also be set off simultaneously at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

"The fact that the Statue is reopening is very symbolic and important, and we wanted to include that in our show," said Robin Hall, executive producer of Macy's Fireworks.

This year's shows, "Beneath a Summer Sky," is the 28th year Macy's has presented the festivities. The displays this year features more than 36,000 pyrotechnic shells and is the largest in the nation, according to Hall.

The celebration begins at 7:30 p.m. Sunday with a Fire Department Fireboat Water Show in midtown Manhattan. Half-an-hour later, a team of four Air Force A-10 Fighter Jets will streak overhead. At 9:30 p.m., 30-minute firework explosions will begin.

Gary Souza, of Souza Fireworks in Rialto, Calif., who has helped planned the fireworks displays for the past 23 years, said spectators should prepare for pixie dust of golden sparkles.

"The fireworks are going to dance by making different angles," he said.

The largest Fourth of July celebration in the nation doesn't happen overnight. Souza said this year's shows were a year in the making, with fireworks from 13 different nation being used. Some were made specifically for the event, he said.

In the South Street Seaport area in Lower Manhattan, traditionally a popular spot for spectators to get an up-close look at the fireworks, one restaurant is gearing up for a busy night.

"I think we'll be pretty crowded," said Lisa Kunst, manager of Bridge Cafe. The fireworks are an annual occurrence that people look forward to, she said.

Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

[Gulcrapek]

I remember a few years ago an attempt at getting to the Promenade was futile; there were something like 25,000 there and the police weren't accepting anyone else. We ended up in the mob 3 blocks away.

Side note:

Half-an-hour later, a team of four Air Force A-10 Fighter Jets will streak overhead.

A-10s are amazing. Most people simply think of them as ugly brutes, but they perform spectacularly and are (were) excellent in the roles they fill(ed). I think most of them are retired now (why?).

[krulltime]

Fireworks in the NJ side of the Washington Bridge:
(The pictures might not look all that good but it was a nice show)

[BigMac]

Newsday
July 4, 2004

The fireworks show

BY GALIA GARCIA-PALAFOX
Staff Writer

Our guide to the 4th

New York City's sky will turn red, white and blue tonight, along with a myriad of other colors, as thousands of pyrotechnic shells are fired to celebrate the United States' birthday.

The 30-minute fireworks show in the East and Hudson rivers starts at 9:20. But the party begins at 7:30, when Fire Department boats will spray arcs of water into the air that will cascade for 15 minutes before turning red and blue. The boats will be on the East River between 23rd and 42nd streets.

After the waterworks, four Air Force A-10 fighter jets will celebrate with military maneuvers over the East River.

This year, the fireworks show will include more than the traditional red, blue and white, as it will also feature pastels, fuchsia, lemon, silver and emerald green lights fired from the East River at midtown and the South Street Seaport, and from a barge near Liberty State Park in Jersey City on the Hudson.

From six barges on the East and Hudson rivers, shells will be fired to make geometric shapes and movements not seen in previous celebrations. Clown faces, butterflies, bees, kaleidoscopes and waterfalls will reach heights of more than 1,200 feet and will dance to the rhythm of music recorded by the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America.

The weather promises to cooperate. The National Weather Service is predicting a sunny day with highs in the mid-80s. The night is expected to be partly cloudy with lows in the 70s.

For those who prefer to celebrate from their living room, the show will be broadcast on NBC starting at 9 p.m.

Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

[BigMac]

New York Times
July 5, 2004

A Brilliant Sky, and Muted Security

By ROBERT D. McFADDEN

Slide Show: Independence Day


Macy's annual fireworks extravaganza lit up New York Harbor and the East River on Sunday night. This is a view of the harbor from Battery Park.

They paraded up Main Street in the old patriot towns, drumming the cadence and flying the colors. They thronged beaches, baseball stands and quiet parks. They barbecued in backyards, strolled down country lanes and gathered on village greens to hear the Declaration of Independence read once more.

America - a hundred Americas - found expression yesterday across the New York metropolitan area on a soft and sunny Fourth of July filled with ceremony, celebration, security and old-fashioned fun. Bikers, joggers, picnickers and sunbathers were out in force, and there were concerts, music festivals, walking tours and countless gatherings of families and friends.

And in the evening, as the last light retreated in a rust-gold atomic sunset and darkness spread over the glittering amethyst city, tens of thousands lined New York Harbor and the East River for the finale of the day's salute to the nation's 228th birthday, Macy's annual fireworks extravaganza, a thundering cannonading that painted the galactic night with dazzling chrysanthemums of color.

Security across the region was tight but relatively unobtrusive. There were no specific threats, but federal and local officials had cited intelligence reports suggesting that terrorists were determined to strike targets in America this summer or fall, and they cautioned vigilance during the Independence Day weekend, which extends officially through today.

But it was hard to conjure up dangers amid the gentle holiday mood yesterday. The afternoon was as comfortable as an old sneaker. A golden sun that weaved in and out of patchy clouds kept temperatures in the low 80's, and rapturous breezes caught the flags and pennants, cooled the city greenswards and sent sailboats and whitecaps rolling over the purple canvas of New York Harbor.

American flags were everywhere: on lawns, seafronts, T-shirts, hats, even fingernails. And American diversity was equally visible. Spread over the green fields of Flushing Meadows- Corona Park in Queens were families native to India, Bangladesh, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and other lands. There were Hasidic Jews, Sikhs and families of other religious and ethnic backgrounds. Nearly all had set up barbeques and picnics in the American tradition.

Haiden Victor, 47, of Brooklyn, was there with his large family, including a 3-year-old daughter, Julia, her hair done up in red, white and blue accessories, who played peekaboo through his legs; and a niece visiting from Puerto Rico. "We are enjoying what most people cannot enjoy," Mr. Victor said. "We can celebrate, and most people can't do that. They're being bombed or bombing someone."

In Lower Manhattan, the cornerstone of the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower was laid and the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site officially begun with speeches honoring those who died in the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and hailing the resiliency of the American spirit.

On Liberty Island out in the harbor, Brittany Mascolo, 15, an R.O.T.C. cadet at her high school in San Antonio, gazed with obvious reverence at the Statue of Liberty, which opened Saturday for the first time since the terrorist attacks. "It is so cool to be here and see the symbol of freedom," she gushed. She said she hoped to become a fighter pilot one day, and noted that several relatives and friends were serving with American forces in Iraq.

Huge crowds flocked to the beaches of Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut, lugging the props of summer: beach chairs, straw hats, sun umbrellas, blankets, sunblock lotions and baskets of food.

At Belmar, on the Jersey Shore, Amy Campbell, of Palmyra, N.J., was sunbathing with five family members when she received word by cellphone that a nephew serving with the Air National Guard in Qatar had just returned home safely. The family broke into cheers. "There is no way to describe how happy we are right now," Ms. Campbell said.

Down the beach, on a blanket, Gina Vetrano, of Brick Township, N.J., was tanning and catching up on her fashion and cooking magazines. "This is the only place you sit and do nothing and not feel guilty about it," she said. "If you are at home you feel like you have to be doing something."

At Coney Island, Takeru Kobayashi, 25, a rail-thin 132-pounder from Nagano, Japan, won the coveted Mustard Yellow Belt at Nathan's Famous hot-dog-eating contest for the fourth consecutive year, by wolfing down 53½ wieners in 12 minutes, shattering his own record by 3 hot dogs. As 3,000 fans wavering between nausea and fascination watched, Mr. Kobayashi - averaging a hot dog every 13 seconds - destroyed his closest competitor, Nobuyuki Shirota, of Tokyo, who managed only 38 dogs.

"I think he has proven, once again, that he is one of the finest athletes of any sport in the world," said Richard Shea, a spokesman for the contest.

In Riverside Park near 98th Street, Marie McFadden, 35, had set up an elaborate picnic regalia by noon - three blankets, two barbecue grills, a huge umbrella and three shopping carts to carry supplies - and was cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken and spare ribs for a dozen friends and relatives while eight children raced about, shooting water pistols. Reggae drifted from a portable player.

"We're using my secret sauce - ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and love," said Barbara Gager, a cousin of Ms. McFadden. "We're having fun," Ms. Gager added. But she offered a more serious point about life in America almost three years after the 9/11 attacks. "We're moving on," she said. "We won't be stopped. We take our freedom with pride. It's such a gift."

Long before dark, tens of thousands of spectators began to assemble along the East River and around the harbor's rim, on the waterfronts of Queens, Brooklyn, Jersey City and other vantage points, for the fireworks show. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive was closed to traffic from Midtown Manhattan to the Battery. Police officers refused to allow alcohol or backpacks through security checkpoints.

Soaring aloft on rockets with spider trails from a half-dozen barges in the river and harbor, some 36,000 pyrotechnic shells erupted in a deafening barrage and riots of color against the night sky: whorls, swizzles, peonies and cascades of dazzling reds, glittering whites, sparkling blues and blazes of silver and gold that burst and flashed and built into a continuous din that echoed off skyscraper facades and rumbled out over the city like the roar of battle.

Reporting for this article was contributed by Stacy Albin, Eddy Ramirez, Colin Moynihan, Howard O. Stier and Karen DeMasters.

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

[BigMac]

Yahoo! News
July 4, 2004