Thousands attend 2019 Fourth of July fireworks

As he watched more than a dozen children scamper between blankets and towels on the grass at Firemen’s Field, chasing an oversized beach ball in an attempt to keep it afloat, Deputy Village Clerk Jason Hunter agreed that it was all good, family fun.

“As you can see, we get a lot of people here,” he said.

Thousands had arrived to pack the stands and sit on the grass, while thousands more gathered in the streets surrounding the field, holding block parties and barbecues, all waiting to witness what has become a decades-long annual tradition in Valley Stream — the Fourth of July fireworks show.

While memories vary on how long the show, which involves an elaborate, 20-minute, audio-visual fireworks display, has been happening, this year marked its 27th consecutive year (with one year off) since village officials helped restart the event in 1992. In recent years it has been co-sponsored by the Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce.

“A lot goes into it,” said 17-year-old Omari Chan, noting that at 7 p.m., setup had been taking place since at least 3 p.m. that day.

He said he had been attending the fireworks every year since he was 8, viewing the show from the streets, but as a Valley Stream Youth Council volunteer helping to run the event’s concession stand, in recent years he has been able to get much closer.

“It’s beautiful,” he said. “It’s front-row seats.”

For Hunter, who in addition to deputy clerk, serves as director of operations for the village, his job involves coordinating between various departments, including, fire, electrical, public safety and sanitation, to ensure the show goes smoothly.

“I’m here just in case things go sideways,” he said.

The popularity of the Valley Stream fireworks show has become such that attendees come from all over, some visiting loved ones from out of state, looking to have a Fourth of July fireworks experience without the hassle of contending with the crush of crowds in Manhattan.

“It’s a great show,” said Five Towns native Mimi Chill, who along with her husband, Jeremy, and five-week-old infant son Elijah, had travelled from Boston to visit family members. “We had a great time the last time we were here.”

The couple had come prepared, as Mimi opened her bag to reveal a pair of heavy, sound-muffling earmuffs for Elijah, who lay sleeping on a pillow nearby.

Sasha Francis, 18, a recent Central High School graduate, said she has come to the fireworks since she was 6, and enjoys the loud sounds, colors and patterns.

“Sometimes I think about going to Macy’s one,” she said, referring to the annual fireworks show held on the East River in Manhattan, “but I don’t like being in the city late at night, and taking the train. So I just go to this one.”

Plus, Francis said, she worries about getting FOMO, or fear of missing out, by not attending.

Her best friend, Taylor Robinson, also 18, said she too had attended the fireworks show a handful of times, but it was her first time viewing them from inside Firemen’s Field.

“It’s cool,” she said of the event, “You get to hang out with your friends and your family.”

“It’s small, but it’s big at the same time,” she added.

And originally from Franklin Square, Amy Russo, who moved to Texas with her husband who serves in the Air Force, returned to visit her parents, Maryann and Tony Scatamacchia, and spend Fourth of July with them.

While Russo said she had attended the fireworks with her brother as a small child roughly 35 years ago, it was the first time for her children, Alexa, 9, Tess, 7, and Ben, 4.

Deputy Mayor Sean Wright said that as the sun began to set on the crowd, the conditions were perfect for the event.

“It’s not too hot, it’s not raining on us, it’s going to get dark soon, and we’re going to have a great fireworks show,” he said. “It’s great to be a part of it. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

And for Valley Stream native Kathleen Woo, 29, who has attended since she was a small child, the fireworks show has become something of a ritual.

“It’s a tradition that we do every year, as long as we can get the family together,” she said. “… We’re lucky to have a community like Valley Stream to have this kind of event for all the people that are here to have a good time.”

Woo said that as she and her family members became older and busier with their lives, they had not attended in recent years, but were happy to return.

“Now that we’re much older, we have kids of our own now,” she said. “It’s a nice thing to come back to.”