Prep Underway On Charles River For Fourth Of July Fireworks Show
BOSTON (CBS) -- Barges in the middle of the Charles River hold tens of thousands of pyrotechnics ahead of Wednesday night's Fourth of July fireworks show. Technicians on board Monday are diligently working to make sure things go off without a hitch.
Dan Havens of Fireworks By Grucci said, "We have approximately 10,000 devices between the barge and the bridge, that's a total of about 4,000 firing ques for our computer system."
It's a big task, but Havens and his colleagues know what it takes.
"The night of the show we will have six computers firing this program, technicians on the bridge, on the barge, and at the hatch also," Havens explained.
The shells are packed with gunpowder that will send the devices 700 feet into the air over the river.
Check: Local 4th of July Fireworks Finder
"There are changes that are made every year. One highlight of this year's show is the gold flitter split comet scene at the end," said Havens. The gold comet effect he is referring to is a literal blast from the past: it started back in 1976.
Fireworks By Grucci worker Jeff Schneider said, "Typically, over the years, we've used this at the end of the body of the show, and that's kind of our signature that we're going into the finale."
Organizers are asking any others boats in the water Wednesday night to stay 1,000 feet away from the barges for safety reasons.
