Esma Orgeron
July 2, 2007
NSU business college dean elected to state CPA board
July 4, 2007
Residents in Houma, Thibodaux and Morgan City will celebrate the Fourth of July in the traditional style with bon mange – “good eats” – and fireworks.
For children and big kids at heart, the most exciting part of Fourth of July celebrations comes when day turns to night and exploding cannons paint the heavens, shooting different colored fireworks, streamers and confetti.
This year promises to be no different.
On the banks of the Atchafalaya in Morgan City, Pyrotecnico of Louisiana is in charge of making this year’s party a celebration to remember. General manager Rocco Vitale said his staff designs shows specifically to fit the venue and audience.
“This allows for maximum excitement and entertainment … up to the time the last shell is fired into the sky,” he said.
The Vitales are experts when it comes to producing pyrotechnics. The family has been in the business for more than 100 years, beginning in the late 1800s with Rocco’s great-grandfather, Constantino Vitale.
“People have always looked to the heavens for beauty. And they will be getting an eyeful,” he said.
There have been transitions over the years within Vitale’s business.
Constantino started the family operation in Italy as the Vitale Fireworks Company. In 1993, the business made its American debut as Pyrotecnico, under the watchful eye of Stephen Vitale, Constantino’s fourth generation grandson.
The company has become one of the fastest growing and innovative fireworks display companies in the Unites States, also acquiring Classic Fireworks of Louisiana in 2001.
In their quest to find new products, the Vitales shop all around the world for new, bigger bangs. Rocco said Pyrotecnico’s staff designs the fireworks, and the explosives are then manufactured to their specifications. The family has traveled as far as China to inspect products to develop innovative ideas.
When fireworks were first introduced in the United States, Rocco said the handmade products were less predictable. Today, technological advancements have made easier – and safer – for fireworks companies to create precise shows.
In fact, with the introduction of computers, producing memorable choreographed shows has become a science unto itself.
“Not only does the computer fire the show, it also aids with the editing the music,” he said. “Each burst of color can be coordinated with a beat from the musical selection.”
And that’s the stuff legendary firework shows are made of.
Local Firework Shows
– The City of Thibodaux, Veterans of the Vietnam War Post No. 4 and the Lorio Foundation will host its annual Let Freedom Ring Festival at Peltier Park July 4.
The park opens at 8 a.m., and residents are welcome to set up barbeque pits, tents and lawn furniture for picnics. Concessions will also be available for purchase, event chairman Leroy Chenier said.
Around noon, Pete Pitre and Rick Folse will perform followed by Way Down South at 3 p.m. Between performances, a silent auction featuring donated items from businesses around Lafourche Parish will be held. In addition, there will be games for the kids, and a display of World War II military vehicles and weapons.
No vehicles will be allowed in the park after 10:30 a.m., Chenier said.
Parking is available at E.D. White Catholic High School, Nicholls State University and on Bayou Lane.
At 9 p.m., the fireworks display will launch from Nicholls State University’s Guidry Stadium.
According to Leland Hoffman, a past event chairman, many people go to E.D. White’s stadium for a good view of the show.
For more information on the Thibodaux celebration, contact Chenier at (985) 665-9483.
– South Louisiana and Harvest Cathedral are sponsoring a fireworks show in Houma July 4. For the third year, the Fireworks Extravaganza will be held on the grounds of Southern Oaks Golf Club, located at 923 Bayou Black Drive in Houma, beginning at 9 p.m.
Harvest Cathedral spokesman Laurie Landry said the display will be visible from the east and west sides of the Intra-coastal Waterway.
For more information, contact Landry at (985) 851-3000.
– Morgan City’s Fireworks on the Lake is hosted by the Morgan City Recreation Department. The event begins at 9 p.m. in Lincoln Park, 2600 Highway 70 North.
For more information, call (985) 380-4643 or (985) 385-1770, extension 712.
