10 July 2023
EMPORIA (KSNT)- Emporia’s head firework operator has retired after nearly two decades.
Bernie Toso, a building inspector for Emporia, took over as the top firework technician in 2005 when his volunteer group, Flint Hills Optimist, took on the firework show as a community project.
After the volunteer group abandoned the show, Bernie made sure it continued.
“It’s a love of fireworks and doing it for the community,” Toso said.
Toso will pass on the job to his friend, Mike Myers, who has vowed to continue the great Emporia firework tradition.
When the fireworks light up the sky in Emporia again next July, Bernie will be watching from the crowd for the first time.