July 3 Fireworks Expected To Thrill Thousands

More than 5,000 Upper Macungie residents are expected to jam Sunday evening for the annual township fireworks show presented by Carl F. Schmoyer III.

Schmoyer, owner and operator of the Schmoyer Funeral Home in Breinigsville, is a licensed pyrotechnic and has put on an annual show for 27 years, many of them in the grove behind the funeral home.

"It's grown into something that I've never, ever imagined," Schmoyer said.

Recent editions are a far cry from the smaller crowds that gathered behind Schmoyer's funeral home since 1984, when his hobby drew up to 750 people to watch the backyard fireworks.

Schmoyer said he casually mentioned to township officials about the possibility of using the park late in 2003 for the fireworks show and the event has been held there annually since '04 -- and grown massively.

Schmoyer said the show uses more than 2,000 pounds of fireworks encased in several thousand shells located in the northwest corner of the park.  The show is approximately 33 minutes in length and set to a mixture of patriotic music and contemporary rock.

Tradition, Schmoyer said, dictates that the first song of the show is Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America." The finale set to Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue."

But as flawless as the show may appear to onlookers, it doesn't come easy.

"It's a tedious process that I work on whenever I have some free time," Schmoyer said. "I started working on this year's show the Sunday after Thanksgiving and didn't finish until late this month."

The show's popularity has increased dramatically over the years, Schmoyer said. The park officially "opens" for the show at 8 p.m., but residents begin setting up shop with blankets and chairs throughout the morning and afternoon.

"People start putting chairs up at the crack of dawn. I'd say the park is half-full (with chairs and blankets) by about 2 p.m.," he said.

Limited concessions will be available at the park through the auspices of the Breinigsville Youth Athletic Association, which will operate both of its concession stands.

The show's rain date is July 4.