Despite coronavirus, the annual Norfolk Independence Day celebration will still go on, just in a different way. Big Bang Boom will not shoot its 45th annual show at Skyview Lake, instead, the Saturday, July 4th event will be a drive-in style fireworks show shot on the grounds of Northeast Community College.
Big Bang Boom President Don Wisnieski explained that the committee has been focused on finding a way to follow the Governor’s Directed Health Measures and still be able to observe our nation’s birthday. “Boom is a Norfolk tradition and because it falls on the actual 4th of July, we really wanted to find a way for it to happen, even if the full festival can’t happen, we think the fireworks are an important way to celebrate.”
Wisnieski said the drive-in concept was brought up and they started looking for a location that would allow for optimal viewing of the fireworks from around the area. The committee met with Northeast president, Dr. Leah Barrett, and her staff to work on the details. The college parking areas will open at 7 p.m. that Saturday night, and the fireworks are slated to begin at 9:45. Families are invited to watch while remaining in or on their cars in the Northeast Community College parking lots. The lawns and fields on campus are not open for walk-in viewing.
“We are excited to be able to partner with Big Bang Boom to keep this annual tradition alive,” stated Barrett. “We look forward to being a part of the celebration.”
There will be no concessions available on campus, but you are encouraged to continue to support local businesses by picking up your favorite food and snacks on the way to the show. The buildings at Northeast will not be open, but a limited number of portable toilets and trash containers will be available during the event. Big Bang Boom is asking the public’s help in keeping the campus clean from litter.
But you won’t have to be on campus to see the display, according to Wisnieski “We have gone to a full aerial show with some bigger shells to make sure people from around town can see the fireworks.” The higher elevation of the shoot site on campus will be able to be viewed throughout a large portion of Norfolk.
Big Bang Boom, Inc. is a non-profit corporation formed in 1999 and operates on a budget that is funded entirely by community and business donations.
