Itasca prepping state's 2nd largest fireworks display

Oh, sure, professional fireworks displays are all glitter and dazzle on July 4.

But check them out the day before, when crews are doing the nitty-gritty work to prepare for the big show, and things seem more than a little dull.

A peek at the thousands of pyrotechnics that were being set up Friday for Itasca's Independence Day Celebration tonight at Hamilton Lakes, Thorndale Avenue and Route 53, looked like nothing more than a small maze of wooden framework holding black, rubber tubes.

The devices were spread across just a few hundred feet of grass in an area far from where today's crowds will sit. Tendrils of red wires streamed from each tube, ultimately connecting the fireworks to a computer system that will ignite them.

To a novice, it appears as if scaffolding from a high school theater stage has been rigged with explosives. In reality, though, there's nothing boring or amateur about it.

The Itasca fireworks show is among the largest Fourth of July displays in Illinois, second only to Friday night's show in Chicago. Both are created by Melrose Pyrotechnics and workers say Itasca's 23-minute show takes months of preparation.

The display is set up by a crew of eight to 10 men, led by veteran technician Wynn Cramer. They work almost three full days setting up at Hamilton Lakes, but Cramer said the work starts long before that.

"For a show like this - before we even set any of this stuff up - it all starts with the music," Cramer said.

While many displays now play music in the background, only a few are precisely custom-choreographed, he said.

The music is chosen months in advance and often mixed in a recording studio at Melrose's offices.

Tonight's show will feature an array of tunes, including classical music, the retro sounds of Pink Floyd and, of course, patriotic songs. And getting the fireworks in sync with the beat is no small feat.

In addition to programming their launch into a computer, Cramer said there's a lot of science behind it.

"Every shell, every candle - we have to know what they do, how long they last and how high they will go," he said.

Once crew members pinpoint the choreography, they obviously can't literally rehearse the launches. But their computer system does allow technicians to view how the display will play out, ensuring complete synchronization.

Cramer said he's never seen a timing mistake.

"With the computer, we back up our backups so nothing goes wrong," he said.

With more than 30 years in the business, Cramer also said he's never sustained an injury - especially since the process has evolved from chemicals lit by hand with a flare to the computerized fireworks common now.

Playing with fire, months of planning and long summer work days are all worth it to Cramer and his crew.

After all, every project of his career literally ends with a bang.

"You put in all of this work and at the end you suddenly hear people clap and cheer and that makes it all worth it," Cramer said. "It kind of validates what you're doing."