Annual Fort Myers Beach Fourth of July fireworks display close at hand
After all of this red, white and blue patriotic action on the beach in the morning and early afternoon July 4th, stop by other local establishments and make your way down to the Times Square area around dusk for the annually phenomenal fireworks display, organized and hosted by Bill Semmer and his Fourth of July Fireworks Fund team. They have worked diligently for months and months prior to this special night, raising funds just for this very occasion.
“Plans have been going wonderful,” said Joanne Semmer, team member of the fireworks fund committee. “The show will last anywhere from 35 to 40 minutes, depending on weather. (If it looks like rain, we might shoot them off a little faster).”
Joanne said the almost-hour-long display actually takes about two days to build on the pier prior to the show, from carrying in sand for placing the mortar to building the wooden framing for the grand finale and wiring everything together.
“Bill loves to help with the display, but we work in partnership of Garden State Fireworks, who has a whole team that comes in,” Joanne said. “They are federally licensed pyrotechs, manufacturing their own fireworks, with $5 million in liability insurance. We’ve used them ever since we’ve been doing this for 21 years. It’s a good partnership and they’re a good company. Plus, they have a great safety record.”
For safety purposes, Joanne said they’ve gone from hand-shooting the fireworks to actually setting them off electronically. The Garden State Fireworks wires up the displays, all connecting to a large keyboard. That’s right pyrotechnics have gone digital.
If you’ve been to this team’s amazing shows in the past, don’t think you’ve seen it all. Bill and his crew make sure they change up the display and the fireworks year after year, keeping it fresh, new and exciting.
“We like to change the display every year to enhance it, make it better,” Joanne said.
Expect for the show to start as soon as it’s dark enough to kick off the display, right around 9:15 p.m., Saturday, July 4.
Joanne, on behalf of the fireworks team, is eager to show her thanks to the Fort Myers Beach community.
“We just want to thank the Fort Myers Beach community for all of their support in helping us put on this fireworks show, because without them, we couldn’t do it. It’s their support that makes this possible to all the people that brought baked goods for our bake sale, to all our volunteers that come out to help set up, clean up, sell raffle tickets, sell T-shirts throughout all of our fund-raisers to all those that come to our benefits and support them I don’t want to leave anyone out thank you all so very much. It’s only the generosity of the community that we’re able to put on the fireworks (display) every year.”
Joanne said the fireworks team will have a tent set up right at the foot of the bridge in the Times Square area, selling annual Fireworks Fund T-shirts ($10 each or XXL for $12); American flags; red, white and blue beads and potentially more, and will also serve as an information station for passers by.
We’ll see you on the beach in your red, white and blue this Fourth of July!