Beach fireworks set for New Year
It’s time to ring in the New Year and say goodbye to the first decade of the second millennium. Time Square, anyone?
There can be no better way for Beach residents and visitors to greet 2011, than watching another spectacular Semmer Team fireworks show at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The 7-8 minute display is sponsored and financially provided by the Town of Fort Myers Beach.
The Semmer Team fireworks committee, which also puts on the Fourth of July fireworks, is raring to unveil another eye-popping man-built and electronically produced fireworks show from the Beach Pier this Friday. The team members volunteer their time for the event and pick up any incidental costs relating to it.
As it has for the past 23 years, the team will be partnering with Garden State Fireworks, a team of federally licensed pyrotechnic experts who manufacture their own fireworks. The company is protected by a $5 million liability insurance policy and holds an outstanding safety record.
And, safety is always an important issue when dealing with fireworks.
“We’re proud to be part of their team. They do a wonderful job,” said Joanne Semmer, spokesperson for the Semmer Team. “They are professional and safe. Their safety record is impeccable.”
The Semmer Team and Garden State Fireworks will take one day prior to the show to build the display. The process includes carrying in sand for placing the mortar to building the wooden framing for the grand finale. Garden State Fireworks employees wire everything together and connect it all to a large keyboard.
Bill Semmer, owner of Semmer Electric and Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Caf, helps design the shows each year to make sure it has a fresh look.
“My brother Bill always has a surprise,” said Joanne, when asked if anything will be different this year. “But, I don’t know what it is.”
The Beach fireworks shows have annually been regarded as the finest and most popular in all of Southwest Florida, drawing tens of thousands of people to the island and along the shoreline.
So, don’t get stuck in traffic. Come early and make sure to stop by some local Beach establishments before making your way to the Times Square area for the light show. There will be paid parking in Lynn Hall Park and along Old San Carlos Boulevard.
“We’re happy to partner with the Town of Fort Myers Beach to put on our New Year’s Eve display and help celebrate the town’s birthday,” said Joanne, who said the early weather forecast calls for clear skies that evening.
“We would like to invite everybody to come out, enjoy the fireworks show and help bring in the New Year.”
Special trolley service New Year’s Eve
Regarding Fort Myers Beach, LeeTran will operate two trolley routes on Friday, Dec. 31, in honor of New Year’s Eve, according to Joanne Haley of LeeTran. The trolleys will run until 2 a.m. New Year’s Day.
“There will be four trolleys running on the Beach and five on the park-n-ride (route from Summerlin Square at the Winn-Dixie Plaza to the Beach), she said.
Trolley service from Summerlin Square on the mainland to Bowditch Park at the north end of the island, will run approximately every 40 minutes during the course of the night. The extra vehicles begin routes at 6:30 p.m.
Expect trolleys to provide rides along and off the Beach until long after the fireworks display is over.
Beach trolley service travels on Estero Boulevard from Bowditch Park to Lovers Key State Park. The adult trolley fare is 50 cents per boarding; the discount fare (seniors 65 and up, disabled persons and students with required I.D.) is 25 cents per boarding. Exact change is required.
For more information, contact LeeTran Customer Service at 533-8726