Chicago area fireworks company hurt by canceled 4th of July displays

NewsColony
Chicago area fireworks company hurt by canceled 4th of July displays

The annual 4th of July fireworks show in Itasca is one of the largest in the Chicago area. It’s carefully choreographed to music as a crowd of about 25,000 people watch from the lawn – but not this year.

“Until large gatherings can happen again, the firework industry is not going to survive,” said Julie Heckman, with the American Pyrotechnics Association.

With the cancellation of just about any even that draws a large crowd, the fireworks that accompany those events are also canceled, including the downtown shows at Navy Pier and at Bulls games.

It is a huge problem for small, family-owned fireworks companies like Melrose Pyrotechnics, which has been producing the White Sox fireworks since they started in business 60 years ago.

“We have half a million pounds of explosives we have to store,” owner Mike Cartolano said. “We don’t get a do-over.”

According to industry experts, about 80 percent of the fireworks business for the entire year falls on one day: July 4th.

Nearly all Independence Day shows are cancelled this year, so that means fireworks companies have to store their product under strict guidance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It’s an expensive proposition considering they have little income this year.

“The small family businesses that make up the industry are just crippled,” said Heckman.

The American Pyrotechnics Association is lobbying Congress to provide financial relief to companies.

Melrose, which has won numerous international awards, is based in northwest Indiana and has 35 full-time employees. It is fourth generation family-owned. They do it because they love it, and they hope to be able to continue doing it.

“We just wanna get back in the game,” Cartolano said. “We love doing what we do. We love entertaining.”

Melrose spent 60 hours producing the show in Itasca this year. They finished in March, just before the shutdown. Now, they have to hope it stays current for next year.

Source: ABC Chicago

The post Chicago area fireworks company hurt by canceled 4th of July displays appeared first on NewsColony.
NewsColony

source https://newscolony.com/chicago-area-fireworks-company-hurt-by-canceled-4th-of-july-displays/

Comments

What you should do if you have coronavirus

NewsColony What you should do if you have coronavirus Click to expand Replay Video UP NEXT Watch a COVID-19 Lab Test Watch a COVID-19 Lab Test Redding Record Searchlight Redding’s first cannabis store, Synergy, opens for business Redding’s first cannabis store, Synergy, opens for business Redding Record Searchlight Five tips to be a rock painter Five tips to be a rock painter Redding Record Searchlight SETTINGS OFF HD HQ SD LO Skip Ad UP NEXT You wake up with a dry cough or headache. It could be the common cold or allergies, or it could be the coronavirus. So, what should you do next? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health experts recommend taking the following steps if you’re feeling sick and think you may have COVID-19. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. Do an inventory of symptoms: Dry cough is one. Are you also short

Coronavirus Live Updates: Online Retailers Plan Campaign to Rescue Postal Service

NewsColony Coronavirus Live Updates: Online Retailers Plan Campaign to Rescue Postal Service Here’s what you need to know: Image A United States Postal Service employee making deliveries in the Bronx last month. Credit… Desiree Rios for The New York Times Online retailers, including Amazon, want Congress to save the Postal Service. A coalition of online retailers backed by Amazon plans to start on Wednesday a seven-figure advertising blitz opposing President Trump’s demand that the beleaguered United States Postal Service ratchet up its package delivery rates to avoid bankruptcy during the coronavirus crisis, its top lobbyist said. The ads will begin running nationally Wednesday night on “Hannity,” one of Mr. Trump’s favorite programs on Fox News, and on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show on Thursday. They do not mention the president but label his proposal to raise delivery prices “a massive package tax” on small businesses and Americans who rely on the mail for pre

China’s military is world’s first to use experimental virus vaccine

NewsColony China’s military is world’s first to use experimental virus vaccine © AFP An experimental coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use by the Chinese military – a first for the armed forces of any country. Photo: AFP China has approved military use of an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by the People’s Liberation Army and a Chinese pharmaceutical company, in a first for the armed forces of any country. The vaccine, identified as Ad5-nCoV, was jointly developed by a team at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, led by Major General Chen Wei, and Tianjin-based company CanSino Biologics . It is the first time that a vaccine candidate for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has been authorised for use for the military of any nation. CanSino said on Monday that the candidate had been through two phases of clinical trials, which indicated it was safe and there was “relatively high” immune response to the antigen. The candidate is yet to start

NewsColony

Search This Blog