RIVERFEST FIREWORKS DISPLAY FINALLY FINDS A HOME

Don Strohmeyer gets a charge out of Riverfest. But he admits that as chairman of the event's fireworks committee, finding a good site to ignite the pyrotechnic display can be a major headache.

Last year, the idea of shooting the fireworks off a barge in the Mississippi River fizzled because of high water and insurance problems, said Strohmeyer.

As a result, organizers decided at the last minute to launch the fireworks from the old shoe factory site on North Main Street.

Unfortunately, the fireworks could not be easily viewed by Riverfest spectators. "We couldn't get them high enough for everyone to see them downtown because of the buildings and trees," said Strohmeyer.

This year, festival organizers had once again set their sights on shooting the fireworks from a barge. But by Tuesday afternoon, that idea had been abandoned because of an inability to obtain adequate insurance.

"While we could get insurance for liability, we couldn't get insurance to cover the boats," said Strohmeyer.

At some of the previous Riverfests, fireworks have been ignited from barges provided by Missouri Dry Dock and Repair Co. "We really appreciated the help they gave us in the past, but we decided we better go back to the ground," said Strohmeyer.

Strohmeyer said some thought had been given to shooting the fireworks from sandbars along the Illinois shore. But the river's high water washed away that idea.

"We looked at about five different sites, trying to pick one that was safe and still visible," said Strohmeyer.

On Tuesday, organizers decided on a location on the river bank along the flood wall, just north of the Riverfront Park.

Strohmeyer said that spectators should be able to view the fireworks display from anywhere in the downtown area this year. Courthouse Park and the terraces in front of the Common Pleas Courthouse should prove "a good viewing area," he added.

The fireworks show, regularly a highlight of the annual festival, will begin at 9:15 p.m., June 8. It is sponsored by River Eagle Distributing.

This year's fireworks show will last "a half hour or more," said Strohmeyer, and should be "the biggest one ever."

Strohmeyer said that the area immediately north of the Broadway floodgate, on the river side of the flood wall, will be barricaded to keep spectators away from the rocky area where the fireworks will be discharged.

The closest spectators will be about 100 to 150 feet from the launching site, he said.

"It (the site) is all rock," he explained. "What we plan to do is bring in gravel and sand to level it off (for the fireworks)."

Strohmeyer said the site met with the approval of Cape Girardeau fire officials.

This is the 13th year for Riverfest. A number of years ago, the fireworks were shot from a site on the river side of the flood wall, south of the Riverfront Park area, Strohmeyer said.

Fireworks shows are not inexpensive. This year's display will cost more than $6,000, he said.

The fireworks show will be handled by Zambelli Internationale of New Castle, Pa., one of the premier fireworks companies in the world, Strohmeyer said.

The Zambelli family has been called "the first family of fireworks" and has been lighting up the nation's skies for almost 100 years in such diverse places as New York Harbor for the Statue of Liberty celebration and President Bush's vacation White House in Kennebunkport, Maine.

The company has handled fireworks displays for a variety of events, ranging from the return of the hostages from Iran to the 1982 World's Fair.

It has presented fireworks displays for every U.S. president since John F. Kennedy, including the inaugurations of both Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

The company annually handles the elaborate July 4th fireworks display at the Washington Monument.