Sparks still fly in a recession

    Never mind the headlines -- for some fireworks companies, there's no slump.

    By Josh Glasser

    Inside the business

    Fireworks have been a hallmark of July 4th festivities since the first Independence Day celebration in 1777, and this year should be no different. True, some smaller cities -- including Colorado Springs, Lowell, Mass., and Reno, Nev. -- have canceled their shows due to financial concerns. But this year's Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular promises to be more spectacular than ever in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival in New York, and executives of fireworks companies throughout the country say business is healthy.

    Zambelli Fireworks Internationale produced over 2,000 shows last July 4th weekend and has added new shows this year in such cities as Philadelphia and Albuquerque. And that's in addition to the 1,500 more the company does throughout the year, including an October display to commemorate Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary (shown), which set the U.S. record for most fireworks launch sites at 17.

    But that doesn't mean the company hasn't felt the economy's impact: While Zambelli has traditionally grown between 10% and 15% each year, its growth rate has stalled to only a few percentage points this season.

    Local impact

    Fireworks can be crucial for local economies. Fireworks companies commission thousands of seasonal technicians every summer, and fireworks displays draw people to area restaurants and hotels. That's why, when La Jolla, Calif., resident Adam Harris heard that local restaurateur George Hauer -- who had paid for the town's annual fireworks for 25 years -- would no longer support the tradition, Harris founded savelajollafireworks.com to solicit donations from the township's residents and cove-side businesses.

    "It was silly to think that we couldn't raise money for something that people love so much," Harris says. Harris's group raised $40,000 -- $13,000 more than the $27,000 needed for the show to go on -- in just four days. According to Jim Sousa, president of California-based Sousa Pyro Spectaculars, this show of support isn't necessarily unique: "[While some have canceled their fireworks,] many other communities have stepped up. Others have increased their budgets, knowing that people are going to stay home and not travel this year."

    A family business

    For America's most prominent fireworks purveyors and artists, it's been a family affair from the start. George Zambelli Jr. -- who doubles as an ophthalmologist -- marks the third generation of Zambelli's at the helm of the family's company. Dr. Zambelli's 83-year-old Uncle Lou still arrives for work at the Zambelli's New Castle, Penn. plant at 5 a.m. each morning.

    At Fireworks by Grucci, the fourth and fifth generations lead the charge. "It's pretty much like any other family operation," says Philip Butler, a Grucci vice president who calls himself the company's "Chief Operating Brother-in-Law."

    "You get into [the business], whether you like it or not," he says. "But I loved it."

    Sousa -- who's fourth-generation in the fireworks business -- also always found his family's mom-and-pop operation exciting, but the nation's bicentennial won him over for good. "It wasn't until I graduated college that I realized that I wanted to stay in the business," he says. "After '76, things just boomed from there."

    Innovation

    Fireworks companies stress innovation. In the 1960s, Zambelli introduced electronic firing, eliminating the need for manual operation and allowing producers to more perfectly choreograph and synchronize their fireworks to music.

    Today, it's the company's handcrafted pattern shells -- which form familiar shapes such as hearts, stars, and peace signs upon explosion -- that define Zambelli. Using its proprietary pyrotechnic pellet technology, Zambelli can create custom displays for clients: At this year's Target Fireworks in Detroit on June 24, an iconic Target bulls-eye lit the sky.

    And more innovation comes with each Independence Day: "This year," says George Zambelli, "we're on the cutting edge when it comes to decreasing the amount of perchlorate in shells," reducing their fireworks' environmental impact. At this year's Philadelphia Park July 4th show, Zambelli will debut perchlorate-free shells.

    Celebrating the Fourth of July

    Invented by the Chinese and adored worldwide, fireworks have defined July 4th ever since founding father John Adams suggested in 1776 that Independence Day "ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other."

    That's why, today, many fireworks-makers consider themselves not technicians, but artists. From fireworks' distinct color combinations formed using specific element clusters -- barium chlorate makes green, for example -- to their musical arrangements, they inspire. "It's like putting together a motion picture," says Sousa.

    And audiences continue to be moved, too. Even if it requires traveling to the next town over this year (or starting a Web site à la savelajollafireworks.com), the centuries-old fireworks tradition is alive and well. No matter the economic woes, says Sousa, "the public wants to celebrate the Fourth of July."