New Year’s Eve fireworks make a big bang

As dozens upon dozens of residents stood bundled up along the riverfront on New Year’s Eve, marvelling at the brightly-coloured explosions in the night shy, it became clear to Bill Badiuk that he had organized an event to remember.
“The crowd was there, the display was fantastic, it was a beautiful evening–who could ask for anything more,” he enthused during the Fort Frances Rotary Club’s millennium celebration Friday evening at Pither’s Point.
“It was a good way to bring in the new millennium, and I’m sure it made people aware it was marking the end of the century,” he added. “It kind of symbolized the future as being full of great ideas and great potential.”
The fireworks display, which lasted almost 15 minutes, got financial backing from the Rotary Club, Voyageur Panel, the Town of Fort Frances, and Abitibi-Consolidated.
But the work didn’t end with getting sponsors, said Badiuk. “It was much work to get the rockets into place and hooked up,” he noted.
The setup was headed by Deputy Fire Chief Charlie Turgeon who, along with John McTaggart, Mike Bird, and Bill Caul, spent close to 30 hours preparing the display and cleaning it up the following day.
Using an electronic firing system, the fireworks went off in varying sequences with just the push of a button. But as anyone waiting for the display to start would know, there was a slight hitch.
“Because of the cold weather, we had some trouble making the right connections. There was about a 10-minute delay because of that,” said Turgeon.
Although the pyrotechnics originally were slated to coincide with a similar display at Smokey Bear Park in International Falls, the delay resulted in spectators seeing flashes of colour and hearing “booms” about 10 minutes before the one here got into full swing.
“We were kind of treading new water but we really know what to do now,” Turgeon remarked. “I’m thinking of talking to Paul Bock and seeing if we can use this electrical system for July 1.”
Badiuk was happy to say the only complaint he heard from anyone was about the display’s duration. “Maybe it could have been a little longer but that would have been even more bucks,” he chuckled.
The Rotary Club still is accepting donations to help cover the cost of the fireworks display.