For many, the Fourth of July wouldn’t be the same without a dazzling display of fireworks to end the night.
In the spirit of patriotism, Tom Cristiano and Lisa Brown revived the Fourth of July celebration in Johnstown last year. This year, they have even bigger plans for their second Johnstown Star-Spangled Fireworks Celebration, which takes place Saturday.
“We have fond memories of the celebration that they used to throw in town when we were kids, but they haven’t done anything in about 35 years. We wanted to bring it back for our community,” said Cristiano, an airline pilot who works part-time as a fireworks technician for Alonzo Fireworks.
With help and support from the Johnstown Area Community Center, Cristiano and Brown were able to raise money from local businesses to put on a celebration that included food, music and fireworks. Spectators also contributed through donation buckets at the celebration.
The response from the community was tremendous, drawing between 3,000 and 4,000 spectators. This year, they’re expecting an even bigger crowd.
Cristiano said the fireworks show, which will begin at 9:30 p.m., will be choreographed to popular and patriotic music. Festivities will take place at Knox Field in Johnstown, where admission is free.
Vendors will start serving food and beverages at Knox Field at 5 p.m., and a LifeNet Emergency Medical Services Helicopter will be landing at 6:30 p.m. for the public to view. Live music will be presented by the band FLAME from 7 to 9 p.m., and Johnstown High School ninth-grader Emily Barker will be singing the national anthem.
Brown said the entire production is a community effort from beginning to end. She said that without community volunteers and the support of the community center, they wouldn’t have been able to put the show on.
“Volunteer workers help us with clean-up after the show. And because we’re on school property, all of the vendors on the field will be raising money for high school organizations,” Brown said.
The Johnstown Star-Spangled Fireworks Celebration will also take place the day of graduation this year, helping the Class of 2014 end its high school career with a bang.
“This is not just a fireworks show; it’s a celebration of America for the whole community.” Brown said.
Around the region
The sky in the Capital Region will be radiant with colorful explosions starting this weekend. You can see holiday and summer fireworks shows at the following locations:
Friday
• Scotia, Jumpin’ Jacks Drive-In at Freedom Park
Saturday
• Johnstown, Knox Field
• West Lebanon, Lebanon Valley Speedway
Thursday, July 3
• Amsterdam, Shuttleworth Park, following the Amsterdam Mohawks-Adirondack Trailblazers baseball game
• Fort Plain, Wiles Park
• Fort Ticonderoga (advance reservations required)
• Glens Falls, Summer Jam 2014
• Tupper Lake, Tupper Lake Municipal Park
Friday, July 4
• Albany, Empire State Plaza
• Bolton Landing, Rogers Memorial Park
• Clifton Park, Clifton Common
• Cobleskill, Sunshine Fairgrounds
• Glens Falls, Crandall Park, after the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra concert
• Hague, Town Park
• Lake George, Shepard Park
• Lake Placid
• Long Lake, Long Lake Town Beach
• Malta, Albany-Saratoga Speedway
• Mayfield, Lanzi’s on the Lake
• Old Forge
• Queensbury, Six Flags Great Escape
• Raquette Lake, Village Green
• Saranac Lake, Riverside Park
• Saratoga Springs, Congress Park
• Schroon Lake
• Troy, Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, following the Tri-City ValleyCats-Lowell Spinners baseball game
Saturday, July 5
• Amsterdam, Shuttleworth Park, following the Amsterdam Mohawks-Utica Brewers baseball game
• Chestertown, Chester Municipal Center Ballfield
• Indian Lake
• Greenwich, Elks Lodge
• North Creek, Ski Bowl Park
• Northville, Sport Island Pub and Restaurant
• Queensbury, Six Flags Great Escape
• Speculator, Speculator Pavilion
• Troy, Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, following the Tri-City ValleyCats-Lowell Spinners baseball game
Sunday, July 6
• Northville, over Little Lake
• Queensbury, Six Flags Great Escape
Friday, July 11
• Schenectady, Schenectady County Summer Night Finale
Saturday, July 12
• Wilton, Gavin Park, ParkFest
Wednesday, July 16
• Troy, Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, following the Tri-City ValleyCats-Aberdeen IronBirds baseball game
Saturday, July 19
• Troy, Troy Pig Out
Thursday, July 24
•Troy, Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, following the Tri-City ValleyCats-Staten Island Yankees baseball game
Friday, July 25
• Amsterdam, Shuttleworth Park, following the Amsterdam Mohawks-Albany Dutchmen baseball game
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