5 July 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Everyone knows that fireworks make a dazzling display of bright colors and shapes, but not many know how a firework show is made possible. According to the Emporia fireworks show it’s a long and time-consuming process.
Emporia Head Firework Operator Bernie Toso said that he and his team will start planning the fireworks show in February, but the most important work is on show day. The team’s day starts around 8 a.m. and doesn’t slow down until show time.
“We clean all of our tubes from the year before, and then we bring equipment out to the field, set it up, and start dropping shells,” Toso said. “Then we ‘squib’ them, which is putting the electronic match on them, and then we hook them up to our electronic boxes.”
Although the whole show works through electronic boxes, it still takes over 12 hours to set up all the fireworks. Some fireworks weigh over 25 pounds and must be carefully lowered into their tubes. Some of the wiring can also be tricky to deal with.
“People think that it’s just the show and lasts 20 minutes, but they don’t think that it takes a whole day and months of planning to set up.”
However, if Toso can make people’s Fourth of July a memorable one, then he says it’s all worth it to him.