A sparking good time, Rapid City’s July 4th firework show
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - It’s another year with fireworks in Rapid City. The show is in the middle of being prepared for the big event on July 4, at dusk around 9:30.
A fireworks show like the one in Rapid City doesn’t happen overnight. It takes thousands of pounds of fireworks and a three-person team to get the show rolling.
“We’ve been preparing a long time for this, I mean it takes getting the product, packaging the product, getting the show organized and scripted out, loading the truck,” said Dylan Stanton, a pyrotechnician with J and M Presentations. “So, it’s been weeks and weeks of preparation and then including two days on-site here to make it happen.”
A two-day setup for nearly 25 minutes of action, but in those 25 minutes, the sky will be filled with big, small, and colorful fireworks.
“So, we’ve got quite a few different caliber shell sizes here. I mean we’ve got three-inch, two and a half, four-inch, fives, and sixes,” said Stanton who also has a show in Sturgis.
The bigger the canister, the bigger the fireworks. And if you thought that the team at J and M Presentations lit fireworks with a match, you might be surprised. The whole show starts with the press of a button. The fire department will be on-site in case of any incidents, and Stanton wants you to know, “We are shooting fireworks at the executive golf course downtown Rapid City, and so come downtown to watch it, but you can’t be on the golf course when the show is going on.”
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