With the weather the way it’s been lately, the people involved in putting on Together Days are hoping the festival isn’t washed away in a rainstorm.
Lucky for everyone though, at least one part of Together Days is unlikely to be cancelled due to showers. It would take torrential rains to cancel the fireworks display on Saturday night.
Actually, rain isn’t the main thing to worry about, unless it comes down heavy, said Ed Murphy, president of Bangor-based Blue Hill Pyrotechnics, which will be putting on the show again this year. Wind and fog can wreck a show quicker than rain. Wind for safety reasons, fog for visibility reasons, he said.
“As long as the wind isn’t really blowing too hard and it’s not a downpour, we can do the show,” said Murphy. “Fog, wind, rain-those things would cause a show to be cancelled.”
Murphy said state law dictates a show can’t go on if winds reach 25 mph. However, if the wind is gusting and changing directions, the crew doing the show can decide if they want to continue or not. The decision lies in the hands of the lead shooter, who controls the choreography of the show and has final word if it’s safe to shoot.
Murphy said safety is a primary concern when putting on a show using pyrotechnics. Before the show begins, the crew running it sets up a safety perimeter, which they’re required to do by state law. In the case of Saturday’s show at the Warren baseball field across from the Public Safety Building, no one will be allowed within the field’s fence during the show. If someone walks in, the show stops. Murphy said.
Fire Department Chief Gary Littlefield said Blue Hill is very safety-oriented, which makes them a good group to work with. He said they’re required to get permits and work with an investigator from the state fire marshal’s office before the show to set up a proper perimeter, measure distances from surrounding buildings and determine proper direction to fire the guns. Beyond that, they seem to take safety very seriously.
Murphy said he stresses safety “all the time, 100 percent.”
Littlefield said about five or six Westbrook fire fighters will be on hand during the show and they’ll have an engine down there with them. He said they never really have any trouble with the fireworks shows other than a few minor grass fires, but those were easily managed. After the show is over, fire fighters will scour the area around the show to make sure nothing has flared up.
Of course, if it’s raining, that shouldn’t be a problem.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed it’s going to dry up and be warm and sunny and we’ll have a ton of people down there,” said Mayor Bruce Chuluda. “The fireworks will be the culmination of what I expect to be a fantastic weekend.”
Murphy said he hasn’t designed the show for this year yet, but he will be doing that in the next couple days. He promises it’ll be different from years before. He said the company keeps a record of every show they do and individually design each show as opposed to selling “canned” shows like some out-of-state companies do.
“We don’t do canned shows,” he said, explaining that canned shows are prepackaged shows for purchase at different prices based on the size of the package. “We try to mix it up so we don’t get predictable. Being creative is a big deal.”
Murphy said his company still does the shows using the tried-and-true method of lighting the fireworks by hand instead of using computer controls. The crews use torches and safety road flares to light the individual fuses of each shell, which are launched from mortars made of heavy-duty PVC piping. He said a crew of five or six will run the Westbrook show.
Murphy said about 20 minutes is the limit before a crowd starts to get bored. He said if the weather is bad on Saturday but the show still goes on, the lead shooter will be able to speed it up to get everyone home quicker. If the show doesn’t go, it’ll go at later date.
This year’s show is being sponsored by Idexx, which takes the place of Calpine, the company that sponsored the fireworks show for many years.
“As one of the newest ‘homeowners’ in Westbrook, Idexx Laboratories is pleased and proud to sponsor this community event,” said Elisabeth Perry, Idexx business communications manager. “We look forward to joining our Westbrook neighbors in celebrating the community spirit which has made this a great city in which to live and work.”
Weather and wind permitting, the fireworks will start at 9:30 p.m. Saturday night at the baseball field across from the Public Safety Building.
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