5,500 aerial shells bring lots of oohs, aahs

5,500 aerial shells bring lots of oohs, aahs
By Emma Graves Fitzsimmons
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Published July 4, 2007


More than a million people packed the downtown lakefront for a view of Tuesday's fireworks on the eve of the 4th of July. It may not have been the nation's biggest Independence Day show, but city officials said it was the "first and best," noting that the show's producer, Melrose Pyrotechnics, recently snagged first place at an international fireworks competition in Montreal.

The annual lakefront extravaganza Tuesday featured 500 additional shells, bringing the total to 5,500 shells. The explosions were set to a 20-minute concert that included such classic, patriotic musical pieces as the "1812 Overture" and "Stars and Stripes Forever."

The city's Independence Day fireworks display joined forces with Taste of Chicago in 1981. The fireworks came about 9:30 p.m. after a concert by the Grant Park Orchestra and other events throughout the day to accommodate the sea of people arriving early to stake out a spot.

"It is a battle like the Old West -- everyone is searching for a place to claim for themselves," observed Cindy Gatziolis, a spokeswoman with the Mayor's Office of Special Events.

Madhur Lindi and his wife, Rupali, were among the early arrivals for the fireworks display. The Woodridge couple spent the day munching on pizza and enjoying ice cream at the Taste and managed to find a spot on the grass along the lakefront in Grant Park about an hour before the fireworks began.

"If the boats on the lake have the front-row seats [for the fireworks], than we're in the second row," Madhur Lindi said.

For Jorge Arceo, the owner of a Mexican restaurant near Midway Airport, this year's 4th of July lakefront celebration took on special meaning.

"It's special because my wife who is from Mexico will soon be taking her test to become an American citizen," he said as he watched the fireworks with his wife, Analine, 31; his two sons, Jorge, 5, and Joshua, 2; and about a dozen friends and other family members. "My wife is out here celebrating being an American just like everyone else."

City officials had worried rain showers might interrupt the celebration, but it held off, until after the show when a light sprinkle began to fall. It was a perfect warm, but breezy night for the outdoor gathering of families and friends parked on blankets and lawn chairs.

As one might expect, the fireworks were especially thrilling for youngsters in the crowd. Cindy Rivera, 8, of Plainfield, grabbed her father Jose's arm and shouted, "Look Daddy, it's raining stars," as the fireworks exploded.

The show came during a week in which local officials had beefed up security following terrorist threats in Britain.

Special precautions had been taken at Union Station and by CTA officials, and Chicago police monitored the huge crowds in and around the downtown area from a command center in the Loop.

An abbreviated version of the fireworks display will take place Wednesday and Thursday for those who missed Tuesday night's big show.

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efitzsimmons@tribune.com