(New York, NY) – This weekend we celebrate the 249th birthday of the United States of America. The rocket’s red glare mentioned in the national anthem will be brought back to life across the country through grandiose firework displays. Across the tri-state, there will be plenty of sparkling shows to enjoy. In New Jersey, Ridgewood, Wildwood and Jenkinson’s will all put on shows for Independence Day along with smaller displays across the shore. Out on Long Island, the Town of Brookhaven is hosting a concert and fireworks spectacular.
The Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show makes its return to the East River this summer. The show’s executive producer, Will Coss, says that this is going to be a 25 minute-long spectacle dedicated to joy and patriotism. This year marks the 49th show, and a return to the East Side after sparking off from the West Side last year. There will be 80,000 shells and effects launched from four different barges and the Brooklyn Bridge. The show starts around 9:15 p.m., an hour after the sunsets. If you want the best views – there are several public viewing areas along the FDR Drive at the following sites:
- Broad Street at Water Street
- Murray Bergtraum Softball Field with access at Pike Slip and Cherry Street
- Montgomery Street at Madison Street on Lower East Side of Manhattan
- Robert F. Wagner Sr. Place and Brooklyn Bridge off/on ramps
Macy’s is warning people to stay away from the areas of the FDR in Midtown, different parks like Gantry Plaza, The Battery, East River Park, Hunter’s Point Waterfront Park. They also are encouraging people to avoid Governors and Roosevelt Island. For a full list of road closures around the holiday – you can check the DOT’s website. The show is also full of stars slated to perform including Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, Lenny Kravitz, Trisha Yearwood and Eric Church.
A pyrotechnist called in to 77WABC’s Lionel to give some inside knowledge
With the amount of official displays, authorities are warning people to avoid making their own shows at home. Nassau County officials showed residents the risks with an explosive PSA. The County Bomb Squad rigged a car, a mailbox and even ignited a pile of garbage to warn against improper disposal. According to Deputy Fire Commissioner Kevin Smith. 20 Nassau homes were razed in the past five years due to fireworks. Officials on Long Island and elsewhere stress that illegal fireworks will result in consequences.
Paul Grucci, part of the Fireworks by Grucci family, spoke about the fiery tradition last year on 77WABC’s Cats & Cosby
Fireworks became a Fourth of July tradition during the first organized celebration of Independence Day. In Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, there was a fireworks display that began and concluded with thirteen rockets for the 13 colonies. The holiday became a federal holiday in 1941. The holiday marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the 13 colonies. Second President John Adams believed that the true Independence Day was on July 2nd when the Continental Congress voted in favor of breaking from the United Kingdom. Adams would even refute invitations to July 4th events in protest. Both Adams and President Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the Declaration of Independence, passed on the Fourth of July in 1826.
