MUSKEGON, Mich. — On Thursday at 10:20 p.m., the sky above Muskegon's lakeshore will be filled with fireworks as the city enjoys its Fourth of July celebration.
"It's a pretty significant show, last year was over half an hour," said Muskegon's Mayor, Ken Johnson. "Prime viewing throughout downtown Muskegon."
The show is being put on by Pyrotecnico Fireworks, who crafted the 2023 show as well. On Thursday morning, crews were busy setting up and securing the lines of tubes where firework shells will be fired, and the multi-firework cake boxes for rapid-fire shots.
Once the tubes had all been secured, they began filling them with shells.
"It starts out with our show designers," said lead technician Matthew Falk. "They pick exactly which shell they want to go off at what point in time and then basically it's all put into a computer program."
He said a crew studies the area to determine which fireworks to use and the height the shells need to travel to create the best viewing experience for the environment.
Falk said crews can remain 150 to 200 feet away and control the show with a press of a button.
The show has been designed to be seen across the waterfront, with a mix of lower-shooting fireworks for crowds closer to the action.
"This is going to probably be one of the biggest, best shows on the Lakeshore today," said Falk.
Being able to electronically control the show also helps with safety.
"We're able to stop the show with the push of a button," Falk said. "We can also unplug certain parts of the show, so if we have a problem in one part we're able to go and close off that part and then keep the rest of the show going."
Johnson said downtown will be largely accessible, with only Terrace Point Road being closed where the fireworks will be launched. He said the Moor Street parking lot behind the Social Security Admin Building will be a prime viewing location.
People can also watch from the LST 393 for just a $5 donation.
"When the show's done, you take out your earplugs and you can listen to kind of the crowd cheer. For me, that's the favorite part," said Falk. "It's a lot of work to put on a good show, but at the end of the day to hear that there's a whole bunch of people that enjoyed it, it's really fulfilling and fun."
"It's just wonderful that we're able to celebrate America, celebrate our independence and freedoms as a city, but also welcome the wider region here and have that community," said Johnson.
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