Same bang, more bucks for Independence Day fireworks show

Joseph P. Smith, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·1 min read

VINELAND — The 4th of July fireworks program is officially in place here, a promised hour of bombs bursting in air from the Vineland High School complex at Chestnut Avenue and Brewster Road.

The aerial show starts at 9 p.m. Tuesday with an “opening barrage” from Schaefer Fireworks of 1,500 shells. In the event of rain, the boomage skips to the same time and place on July 5.

Fireworks shows do not come cheap.

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Vineland is paying $50,000 for its 2023 celebration, an increase of $5,000 from last year. The cost was only $30,000 in 2020.

Millville is paying $17,000 for a 30-minute show. The city paid $15,000 last year and $12,500 in the previous three years. Pyrotecnico Fireworks of Pennsylvania starts its show at 9 p.m. at Union Lake.

Vineland City Council at its June 27 meeting set the time and contractor for its 4th of July fireworks display. PHOTO: June 27, 2023.
Vineland City Council at its June 27 meeting set the time and contractor for its 4th of July fireworks display. PHOTO: June 27, 2023.

The fireworks industry says that what has happened to drive up pricing is across-the-board inflation since 2020.

Schaefer Fireworks, also from Pennsylvania, has had the Vineland contract since 2021. The main portion of this year’s show will use 1,630 shells of varying sizes, followed by triggering 16 “cakes,” or multi-tube devices. The finale will use 1,626 shells of different colors, patterns, and sizes.

The City Council approved resolutions setting the time and place of the Independence Day display and awarding the fireworks contract at its June 27 meeting.

Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.

Have a tip? Reach out at jsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Fireworks more costly than ever, Vineland promises good bang for buck