Fireworks on tap in Opelika, Auburn

They can make fish and flowers appear in the sky, and cause people of all ages to be filled with awe.
But it’s not magic — it’s pyrotechnics.
Fireworks shows are the highlight of Fourth of July celebrations. For the past 30 years, Pyrotecnico in Montgomery has been providing pyrotechnical entertainment for audiences in Opelika and Auburn.

No two fireworks shows are ever the same — including Thursday’s show in Opelika and Friday’s show in Auburn, said Bruce Bovensky, Pyrotecnico vice president of sales in Montgomery.

“All of the shows that we produce are specifically designed for the customer,” Bovensky said.

The cities of Opelika and Auburn have each plunked down $10,000 for Pryotecnico to produce awe-inspiring fireworks shows filled with color and special effects such as shells that burst into fish, bees and spider webs.

Even though the city of Auburn is spending the same amount of money for the fireworks show this year, Alison Hall, Auburn Parks and Recreation community programs director, said it the show won’t be a repeat performance.

“It’s not going to be the exact same thing that you saw last year,” Hall said.

The Opelika and Auburn fireworks show will feature different openings and different grand finales, based on each of the cities’ specifications, Bovensky said.

Both of the fireworks shows will open with a “small grand finale,” with a cluster of shells going up rapidly, Bovensky said. The body of the show will feature a slower tempo, with a series of shells fired in a steady succession, he said.

The grand finale will include a mass volume of 3- to 6-inch shells being shot quickly into the night sky, Bovensky said.
“We like to see our finales grow in size as they approach their ending,” he said.

Pyrotecnico produces oriental-style fireworks shows that feature floral patterns, with each shell being like the petal of the flower, Bovensky said.

A group of up to five people are required to work a fireworks show. They begin setting up the hundreds of mortar tubes — one for each shell — required for each show around 10 a.m. on the day of the event.

Their payoff comes hours later.
“The technicians live for the applause,” Bovensky said, who called the technicians “frustrated entertainers.”

Pyrotecnico creates 2,400 shows annually across the country, with up to 1,500 shows on July 4 alone, Bovensky said.
“The majority of our business is on the Fourth of July,” he said.

Every year, the fireworks display and special effects company seems to add something different to the Opelika show, said Reid Pope, Opelika Parks and Recreation Department municipal area supervisor.

“They really do — no pun intended — a bang-up show for us,” Pope said.

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