Fireworks well worth the wait

Despite going off a day late, thousands of people packed Firemen’s Field and the surrounding streets for Valley Stream’s annual fireworks show.

The Fourth of July event, which was delayed by weather to the fifth of July, featured entertainment, food and children’s activities before the main event. The program transformed a normally quiet neighborhood into the center of activity for the village, where people gathered from Valley Stream and beyond to enjoy the show.

Some fireworks were so bright that, even at 9:30 at night, there were brief moments of daylight. The 20-minute display featured bursts of fireworks in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes.

“The show was phenomenal,” said Vinny Ang, who organized the event for the village. “The fireworks might have been the best ones I’ve seen yet. That finale was pretty darn good.”

Ang led the crowd in a countdown, and on cue the first mortar shot into the air. “Oohs,” “aahs” and “wows” could be heard by many people in the audience, who then cheered loudly at the show’s conclusion.

The show was put on by Bay Fireworks of Farmingdale, and was sponsored by the Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce. Ang said that based on the size of the park, the fireworks show is about as good as it can get. “For our venue, it’s an enormous show,” he said. “We’re probably right at the limit of what we can shoot off there.”

Chamber President Debbi Gyulay said that the paid attendance was down this year, a combination of the show being on a three-day weekend when many people are away and the fact that it was pushed off a day because of the rain.

“For the people who were there, it was great,” she said. “The fireworks I thought were outstanding.”

Ang said that because of the weather on Friday, the village has no choice but to cancel the show, even though the rain ended by mid-afternoon. The field was soaked, he noted, which would have affected all the activities that took place before the fireworks. Additionally, the wind was still a factor at night. “The fireworks would have went up and then landed in Malverne,” he said.

Those who came out on July 5 — Ang estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people in the park — had a good time. Many people took a seat on the bleachers, while others spread out on blankets on the football field.

Walter Hausmann, a Valley Stream resident for 47 years, came with his son, Steven, and daughter-in-law, Vita. He said he was hoping the show would have been held on July 4, but understands it might have been too wet to make it enjoyable.

After years of watching it from outside, Hausmann and his family have decided to buy tickets in recent years. “You get a much better view,” he said.

Steven Hausmann, who said he has been coming for about 20 years, said he loves fireworks and the feeling of the “booming that goes vibrating through your chest.” He compared Valley Stream’s show to the Macy’s event in New York City.

Tyrone Johnson, of Valley Stream, came with his wife, daughter, son and nephews. He said the fireworks show has been a family tradition for the past five years. “It’s fantastic,” he said. “It keeps us coming every year.”

Coming to Valley Stream’s event for the first time was Marie Stamps who brought her 2-year-old daughter, Mari, to her first ever fireworks show. “She’s very excited,” Stamps said. “She just knows that it’s going to be loud and colorful. I brought her headphones just in case.”

Children’s activities were provided by Bethlehem Assembly of God, which included face painting, a bounce house and games. The Valley Stream Youth Council served food and entertainment was provided by a DJ, the Piazza Music Corp. Because of the rainout, the scheduled band Uppercut was unable to play.

Gyulay said the DJ was a huge hit, as he did activities with the children including a hula hoop contest, and had hundreds of people up and dancing.

“I thought it was a good night,” Gyulay said. “Everything went smoothly. I’m happy everyone went home safe.”