A Behind the Scenes Look at MSUM Fireworks Show Preparation

A 20 minute show takes lots of coordination

MOORHEAD, Minn. — You probably don’t think about all the work that goes into putting on a fireworks show.

A 20 minute show takes hours of preparation. Crew members spent the day loading shells into tubes and getting the circuits hooked up.

“I love everything about it, the adrenaline once the show starts, seeing what can happen up in the air with all the different effects they can create and put in shells is fascinating to me,” Ryan Schatz, lead operator at RES Pyro, said.

Organizers say planning for one year’s show basically starts right after the last one. The 4th of July fireworks show has been a tradition in Moorhead for 46 years.

“We look forward to this day as soon as the end of the night comes around, we look forward to next year. It’s probably one of our favorite days of the year,” Schatz said.

An event of this scale is a lot of stress, but always rewarding.

“You never know with the weather, people are so excited, because it’s such a tradition,” Sheri Larson, executive director of the Moorhead Business Association, said.

Even for the team members running the show, seeing the fireworks never gets old.

“I’m a huge fan of the finale, just because I don’t even know what’s coming, obviously we have the script and everything, so we can look at it, but as far as what it’s going to look like, we don’t really know,” Schatz said.

And it’s an exciting time for those behind the scenes and those in the audience.

“Everyone’s faces light up when the show starts and hearing everyone’s applause at the end of the night always makes the hard work worth it,” Schatz said.

For the 5,000 people expected to take in the spectacle, there’s nothing like celebrating Independence Day by lighting up the sky.

The fireworks show will kick off at 10:30 p.m.