Fireworks in baseball: They always draw a crowd

Jul 04, 2010

By: News-Herald Staff

Classic Park is home to the Class A Lake County Captains and some of the loudest, longest fireworks displays in the area.
During this Independence Day weekend, pyrotechnicians from American Fireworks, Inc. of Hudson skillfully executed fireworks shows Friday and Saturday nights after Captains games.
Although the Captains completed a six-game homestand Saturday and will be in Michigan the next three days to play the Lansing Lugnuts, the ballpark at the corner of Vine Street and Route 91 will not be quiet tonight.
For the third straight year, the City of Eastlake will stage its July 4 fireworks show at Classic Park. The gates open at 7 p.m., with the fireworks expected to begin at about 9:45. Leading up to the fireworks, there will be live music and other attractions to occupy the attention of patrons.
Admission and parking are free for tonight’s July 4 celebration at Classic Park.
Fireworks have been a reliable drawing card at Classic Park since the ballpark opened in April 2003. There are 19 fireworks displays on the team’s promotion schedule this season, most of them Friday and Saturday nights.
Crowds on fireworks nights are always larger than for dates without fireworks. This season’s top attendance of 8,452 was on a Friday fireworks night. Fireworks displays at Classic Park are accompanied by music playing on the public-address system.
“We look at fireworks as the No. 1 promotion year in, year out,” said Captains chairman and majority owner Peter Carfagna. “Our fans tells us they like fireworks the best of all promotions. We just respond to the fans’ appetite for more and better fireworks.”
Carfagna declined to disclose what the Captains pay for the fireworks shows staged by American Fireworks Inc. He said the team values fireworks shows for reasons that have nothing to do with financial return.
“Fireworks make everybody feel like a kid again. It’s like you are at Disney World.” Carfagna said. “The combination of music and fireworks has everybody leaving with big smiles on their faces. That’s why we got into this business.”
Family fun, family businesses
American Fireworks Inc. has been in business since 1902. Roberto Sorgi, 23, represents the seventh generation of his family to run the business that stages hundreds of fireworks displays every year and also has a thriving retail store.
“This is something that is in our blood,” Sorgi said.
The Captains have used American Fireworks Inc. to stage postgame displays at Classic Park since 2008.
“Roberto and I sat down this past offseason to determine the specific music and choreography for each postgame fireworks show,” said Jonathan Levey, director of promotions for the Captains. “Our goal is to tie in the music played during the fireworks shows with the theme of the game, such as patriotic rock-and-roll for the (Saturday) fireworks show.”
Levey said fireworks shows put fans in the stands.
“While premium giveaways such as bobbleheads, hats and fleece blankets are also popular, there’s just something spectacular about fireworks that really entices people to buy tickets,” Levey said.
Sorgi said his company’s fireworks shows at Classic Park last about 15 minutes and use 1,500 to 2,000 shots. Industry names for the shells that detonate at altitudes of 150 to 200 feet are chrysanthemum, diadem, peonies, bowties, salutes and fish.
“The biggest challenge is maintaining variety in the shows,” Sorgi said.
Zambelli Fireworks Internationale of New Castle, Pa., has the contract to stage Eastlake’s July 4 fireworks display. The Captains used Zambelli from 2003 to 2007 until switching to American Fireworks.
The Zambelli family’s history in the fireworks business also dates to the early 20th century.
“We have a great relationship with the Zambellis. They do a fantastic job,” Eastlake mayor Ted Andrzejewski said.
The cost of Eastlake’s July 4 fireworks show is about $15,000, said Andrzejewski, who expects attendance in excess of 5,000 for tonight’s event.
“This is something we feel we owe the citizens of Eastlake,” Andrzejewski said. “They want a nice fireworks show on the 4th of July, and it’s something we can provide. People come out and tell us how much they enjoy the show. Along with leaf pick-up and snow removal, it’s something they expect.”
Zambelli spokeswoman Sandy McStay said Eastlake’s Fourth of July fireworks display includes patriotic music and will last about 19 minutes.
“We pride ourselves in attention to detail,” McStay said.
Safety first
Lonnie Futchi is a 30-year veteran of the Eastlake Fire Department. As the city’s fire marshal for the last three years, it is his job to be at Classic Park before, during and after all fireworks displays.
Pyrotechnicians from American Fireworks Inc. typically arrive at about 4 p.m. to unload the shells and set up the racks from which the shells are fired. The racks and other devices are stationed behind the main scoreboard that towers over center field.
McStay said the Zambelli crew is scheduled to arrive at Classic Park by 10 a.m. to set up tonight’s show.
By the time pyrotechnicians from either company pull into Classic Park, Futchi already has established the 140-foot perimeter around the shooting area required by the National Fire Protection code. The code calls for 70 feet of clearance for every inch of diameter in the largest shell to be used in the show.
If, in Futchi’s judgment, public safety is jeopardized by winds that are too strong or weather that is too threatening, he can call off fireworks displays at Classic Park.
“The wind is the main thing,” Futchi said before a recent Friday postgame fireworks display. “Anything over 10 mph, and I’m sweating bullets.”
In deference to neighboring residents and businesses, guidelines established by Eastlake City Council stipulate no fireworks displays at Classic Park ensue after 11 p.m.
“I guess I would like them (fireworks) if I was sitting in the stands,” Futchi said. “Back here, you can see how destructive they can be. I’m glad when they’re over. It’s a safety thing.”
Sights, sounds, smells and, again, safety
Futchi watches fireworks shows at Classic Park from a spot about 80 feet removed from the shooting racks. He alternately watches shells exploding in the sky and their debris tumbling to the ground like so much acrid snow.
A fire extinguisher is at Futchi’s side, ready for use in case in case one of the shells or a fragment of a shell ignites upon landing on the ground or nearby building.
“Luckily, there has been no incident in the three years I’ve been doing this,” Futchi said.
When the show viewed for this story roared to its conclusion with a ringing finale, American Fireworks technician Dan Fisher and Futchi breathed sighs of relief.
“The show looked good. Went off without a hitch. There’s nothing on fire, especially the shooters,” Fisher said with a chuckle.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 4th, 2010 at 12:18 AM and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.