ARTHUR — Larry Schlabach will be able to sit back a little bit and watch Arthur’s massive fireworks display this year.
He won’t have to keep his eye on a timer to determine when to activate the next feature. It will all happen automatically.
“It’s going from partially automated to fully automated,” Schlabach said, noting the work has taken up as much time as anything he’s added to the show, which draws tens of thousands to the community each year.
In a way, it will make the fireworks display, which takes place this Saturday evening, less-stressful for Schlabach and other volunteers involved with putting on the show. He admits, though, he might be a little more tense for the first show than subsequent ones — just because it’s the first one.
“By having the new system, everything is timed really well,” Schlabach said. “All the fireworks are synchronized to music.”
Everything will now be automated, from the fireballs to the Niagara Falls display.
“For the first time I’ll be able to look at the fireballs instead of looking at a clock,” Schlabach said.
“It’s nice to be able to do all that ahead of time. During the show you won’t have to think about that.”
Schlabach and John Weitekamp, who are in charge of the show, are employed by J&M Pyro from Iowa.
Schlabach, the ground display organizer, estimates the display has “a mile of wiring.” Weitekamp is in charge of the aerial part of the show.
All of the workers are technically employed that day by J&M Pyro from Iowa, although Weitekamp is the only one who is a full-time employee.
The local volunteers who set off the works — friends-siblings-cousins — are known as “The Niagara Falls Fellows.”
“We’re just donating our time because we love putting on the show for the community,” Schlabach said.
The Rotary Club, which sponsors the pyrotechnics, raises the necessary funds, “and the community steps up and pays for it.”
The volunteers were initially a shy bunch.
Asked for their names so they could be put in the newspaper several years ago, they demurred because they were Amish and didn’t think the church would approve. So Arthur Fireworks Commissioner Mark Jones gave them the name “The Niagara Falls Fellows.”
They started adding Niagara Falls to the show in 2000.
In 2003, they extended the falls to 500 feet long and added a 500-foot wall of fire and the Rural Patriot — a costumed figure galloping about on horseback, portrayed by Schlabach’s cousin, Marty Miller.
The Niagara Falls Fellows are an innovative and patriotic group. They have a float in the annual freedom celebration parade, and convinced a friend to portray Uncle Sam upon a special rack above one of the fireball machines.
The fireworks show now has 124 fireballs, ranging in size from 15 feet high to 300 feet high.
The fireballs are various containers with open ends, ranging from tin cans to the Ultimate Fireball, which is a 300-gallon propane tank.
All are built locally, most of them at Tri-County Welding.
“We get people from all over the country to see this show. We’ve had 50,000 come to town,” Schlabach said.
“Some people park two-three miles out in the country. It’s a tradition. Families turn out for cookouts and then see the fireworks. It’s packed.”
The parade opens the freedom celebration at 2 p.m.
At 4 p.m., Jurgens Park opens with food vendors/trucks, bounce houses, a zip line, rock-climbing wall and more activities.
The band Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets will perform beginning at 6 p.m., and skydivers will make their entrance at 8 p.m.
The fireworks show begins at 9:30.
Schlabach said the celebration is “all thanks to the veterans.”
“Without them we wouldn’t be able to keep our freedoms.”
The show will also be simulcast on 106.7 FM The Fox radio, Decatur.
Other area fireworks/freedom celebrations:
Tolono Fun Days — June 28, 29
Villa Grove Freedom — Celebration June 28
Gifford Community Celebration — June 28
Thunder Over Lake Vermilion — June 29 at Danville Boat Club
Homer Freedom and Music Festival — July 3
Monticello Freedom Fest — July 3 at Lodge Park.
Fisher fireworks— July 3 at fairgrounds
Rantoul fireworks — July 3 at Rantoul airport.
Champaign County Freedom Celebration — July 4 at Memorial Stadium
Paxton Fourth of July celebration — July 4 at Bixby Park
Sibley Area Fourth of July — at Lake Park
Bement Fourth of July — at city park.
Fourth of July celebration — Oakwood
Fireworks at Gao Grotto — in Danville July 6
