Friday night, Island visitors and year-round residents will head to Oak Bluffs in anticipation of a spectacular display of pyrotechnics. But the Oak Bluffs fireworks is never a sure thing. It takes hours of meticulous planning, months of fundraising, and hundreds of volunteer hours to pull off the dazzling display.
“We start planning in January,” Oak Bluffs fire chief John Rose told The Times. “We start work on the contract with the fireworks company. The permitting process is very involved. We have to get the state permit to close [Seaview Ave.], we have to get the Coast Guard permit because we’re using a barge, and we need the permit from the state fire marshall.”
Mr. Rose said there are also regular meetings involving state police, the Coast Guard, the Steamship Authority, and Edgartown and Tisbury fire department and police department. “Then there’s the little things like the [fundraising] tee-shirts,” he said. “Every year we have a new design, then we put the tee-shirts out to bid.”
Buck for the bang
Fundraising by the nonprofit Oak Bluffs Firemens Civic Association is an important component to the fireworks, which Mr. Rose said can cost up to $50,000. This year the task gained even more urgency after longtime sponsor Black Entertainment Television (BET) said it was ending its annual $10,000 donation.
“Coming into summer we were trying to come up with fundraising ideas so we can keep this tradition going in Oak Bluffs,” the chief said. “This is something we’re really proud of, and we’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure we raise the money to keep the fireworks going.”
This year, firemen took a new approach, hitting the streets with an empty boot for donations. “The guys have been busting their backs to raise extra money,” Mr. Rose said. “They’ve been working extra nights, they’ve been working the harbor, which they’ve never done before. They’ve been standing on the corners in their turnout gear asking for donations. We had a competition between our trucks to see who could raise the most money. The boot really worked. One guy made $1,000 in July.”
Volunteers have been so active “passing the boot” that someone filed a complaint saying the fundraisers were a traffic hazard. After Mr. Rose assured selectmen at their last meeting that fundraising activities of the Oak Bluffs Firemen’s Civic Association would not pose any traffic hazards, selectmen voted unanimously to let the boot campaign continue.
Countdown to launch
As the date approaches, meetings are held with representatives from pyrotechnic company American Thunder. Contingency plans for different weather conditions are evaluated as the weather forecast comes more clear. Mr. Rose said he has had several meetings with Ralph Packer, who donates the barge from which the fireworks are launched, which saves the firemen a considerable sum of money.
“Ralph’s checked the tides, he has new anchor chains and preparations will start at his dock this Wednesday,” he said. Without Mr. Packer’s participation at last year’s fireworks, the 40-year streak could well have been broken. A northeast wind blowing 20 miles an hour and six to eight-foot seas caused two anchor lines on the barge to break hours before the show. Mr. Packer brought in two tug boats to hold the barge in place during the show. But, there was still doubt that the show would go on.
Warren Pearce, president of American Thunder Fireworks, was considering cancelling because of the high winds. Mr. Pearce told The Times that a phone call to Ralph Packer convinced him to proceed. “He told me the tide was going to change in an hour and the current will switch and the wind will drop and we’d be all set. He was right. That man knows what he’s doing.”
Mr. Rose said arrangements are also made to bring four ambulances from off Island, which supplement the additional engine and ambulances from Tisbury and Edgartown.
On Monday, 30 firemen and EMTs braved the heat and humidity to install 250 new “No Parking” signs made by fire department volunteers last winter.
“We’re already getting calls to see when the fireworks are next year,” Mr. Rose said. “Nobody has a venue like we do, with a big park right on the ocean. It really makes for an amazing show.”
Donations for next year’s fireworks can be sent to the nonprofit Oak Bluffs Firemens Civic Association, P.O. Box 213, Oak Bluffs MA 02557.