Zambelli Fireworks preps for Pittsburgh Fourth of July celebration
Dr. George Zambelli Jr. describes it as “painting the night sky.”
That’s what he and his family have been doing for nearly 130 years.
Zambelli Fireworks is one of the largest fireworks companies in the world. It produces more than 1,600 “night sky” shows a year.
Half are done during the week of the Fourth of July — including Monday’s City of Pittsburgh Independence Day Celebration.
The 25-minute pyrotechnic production will be launched from three barges near Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh.
“People love fireworks because they have everything,” said Zambelli, the CEO, on Saturday aboard one of the barges being prepared for the big day. “They fill all the emotions from sight to sound to smell. They are vibrant.”
This will be the first time since 2014 the Warrendale-based company will be lighting up the Pittsburgh skies. Zambelli’s factory is in Edinburg, Lawrence County, near New Castle.
Zambelli said they have so many shows during this week of the year that they don’t always bid on the Pittsburgh event. They decided to bid on it this year after Zambelli and his wife Melanie purchased the entire business three months ago – prior to that, they had owned 50%.
“I made the decision to go back to the way it was years ago and am committed to doing shows here and across the country,” he said.
This one will have 15,000 effects created from shells ranging from 3 to 24 inches – though most of the ones on Monday will be 3 to 6 inches.
The grand finale on Monday will feature 2,000 shells. Zambelli purchases fireworks from all over the world and has some designed exclusively. It takes a week to set up this show.
In the early days, a technician had to hand-fire each firework. Today, everything is computer-based. Each shell is numbered so that the technician working the computer knows where each shell is located. The shells have an electric match in them, and a technician sends a signal to a specific shell location to launch the firework.
When fireworks companies apply for a permit, they provide the layout of the barge as well as proof of liability insurance. The barges are inspected leading up to the event by Lisa Epps-Cuda, fire inspector and fire prevention officer for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire.
The barges will be in position around 7:30 p.m. Monday. Epps-Cuda will do a safety perimeter check to make sure the barges are a safe enough distance from spectators and buildings. They will be at least 600 feet away from land all the way around.
U.S. Coast Guard, river rescue and two safety boats will shut down river traffic during the fireworks display.
“When it comes to safety, you can’t cut corners,” Epps-Cuda said. “Fireworks are beautiful. The weight is on my shoulders to make sure everyone is safe. There are peoples’ lives in your hands. You make a mistake and it can become a catastrophe.”
Weather can affect shows – strong winds, thunderstorms, lightning and extra dry climates need to be evaluated.
Monday’s forecast is a high of 91 degrees and a low of 60. There is a 1% chance of rain.
The largest show the company does is “Thunder Over Louisville” at the Kentucky Derby Festival, which is held two weeks before the horse race. For that show, there are 24 technicians who work for about two weeks to set everything up.
“It’s a labor of love,” said Zambelli, who lives in Marshall. “The Fourth of July is our peak time. It’s like Christmas to Santa Claus where he delivers all of the presents in one day.”
Zambelli, who is an ophthalmologist, and his wife Melanie’s son Jared and their daughter Jessica and her husband Mike Hartman are involved in the fireworks company. Their daughter Alison is a cataract and corneal surgeon and works with her dad in the ophthalmology office, as does their son George Zambelli III.
Zambelli has done shows for presidents, including President John F. Kennedy two months before his assassination as well as Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. They’ve done Pittsburgh’s Light Up Night.
The company was founded by Antonio Zambelli – he worked in a steel mill, but his dream was pyrotechnics, his grandson said.
Zambelli’s father, George Zambelli Sr., took over the business in the 1950s.
Linda Cook of New Castle has been working for the company for almost three decades.
“It is actually about the crowd,” said Cook, who will be one of the technicians working Monday. “When you hear people talking after the show, it’s exciting. That’s why I love doing this.”
The Pittsburgh Fourth of July celebration is a tradition and one of the largest shows in the country, Zambelli said.
“It’s also our hometown,” he said. “We will paint the dark sky canvas with some Zambelli pyrotechnic magic.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people and a weekly column about things to do in Pittsburgh. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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