For those that have inquired – and there have been plenty – the annual Independence Day Fireworks Show that is held right on the city line between Bridgeport and Clarksburg is on for a fifth straight year. Tim DeFazio, the general manager of WDTV and WVFX with is one of the title sponsors, said everything has been finalized.

 

This year’s fireworks show will take place on Sunday, July 2. The events is set to begin at 10 p.m. with the fireworks being shot from the water tank site just above the Eastpointe Kmart situated just inside the city limits of Bridgeport.

 

And there’s an added bonus this year. DeFazio said thanks to a second title sponsor the event will last the longest it ever has lasted.

 

“Jenkins Subaru-Hyundai’s Matt Jenkins has had their company join us as a title sponsor and he did so with the idea to add to the program,” said DeFazio. “This year’s show will be 15 minutes longer, or roughly 45 minutes total, which we believe will make it either the area’s longest fireworks show or definitely one of the longest.”

 

It’s also one of the most highly anticipated events in the area each year. DeFazio was instrumental in bringing the show to the area five years. It wasn’t, as he says, a new idea. Rather, it was a reincarnation of one that was part of his past and that of many from this area.

 

“There was so much history with the old fireworks shows that took place at the (long-closed) Hill’s Department Store that goes back to when we were kids. I think that event helped make fireworks in this area part of what it meant to grow up and the idea at the beginning was to create a new generation and heritage that we hoped people would come to an appreciate,” said DeFazio. “We think that’s been the case.”

 

Numbers, they say, don’t lie. And the numbers say people appreciate it a bunch.

 

“Based on the numbers, which are hard to gauge, it’s a success. People love the nostalgia,” said DeFazio.

 

DeFazio said every year he talks with Bridgeport Deputy Police Chief Randy Hartley about the crowds. The answer is always the same.

 

“We know it’s in the thousands. That first year he told me we hit a home run and we’ve hit them every year,” said DeFazio.

 

The event now includes the parking lots at Gabriel’s Plaza, the Home Depot Plaza, Eastpointe, NewPointe and places in between. Crowds have also been reported at the Meadowbrook Mall as well as near Route 50 at the former Parkette site.

 

“Many businesses and individuals tailgate prior to the event. We know some companies have cookouts leading up to the show,” said DeFazio. “It’s become not just an event, but in many cases a family party.”

 

DeFazio said once again he’ll be working with law enforcement from Bridgeport and Clarksburg. He said the Bridgeport Fire Department and Public Works will be involved. He added that the Bridgeport Public Works group makes sure the site where the fireworks are launched from is not only clear, but that the site is easily accessed by the group responsible for putting them off.

 

“We get so much cooperation from various government agencies and emergency service personnel,” said DeFazio. “Usually things go off without a problem.”

 

DeFazio offered a big thank you to the other sponsors that help make the event happen. He pointed to the Greater Bridgeport Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Harrison County Emergency Squad, and the North Central West Virginia Airport.