As Independence Day weekend approaches, locals and visitors from all over the world are getting ready to pack together onto narrow strips of coveted coastline to partake in the time-honored tradition of the East End’s annual fireworks shows, each of which features the work of Fireworks by Grucci, the sixth-generation family-owned company based in Bellport.
For the groups responsible for putting the shows together, each spectacle also represents the culmination of a monthslong collaborative effort undertaken each year to keep these traditions alive.
Montauk
Tomorrow night, the Montauk Chamber of Commerce’s “Stars Over Montauk” fireworks show is scheduled to begin at 9, with a rain date of Sunday night.
“We start preparing for it at the beginning of the year,” Jessica Dye, the chamber’s executive director, said last week. “It’s a huge team project with the town,” she continued, adding that they have been coordinating with the Marine Patrol, the fire marshal, the East Hampton Town Police Department, town officials, and the Grucci team to “make sure that everyone is safe and happy and can enjoy the fireworks show.”
The chamber also sells tickets to a fireworks viewing cruise for adults over the age of 21, using a boat and crew donated for the occasion by Orla Reville, an owner of the Viking Fleet, which helps them recoup some of the costs associated with the show.
“We are able to take out 120 people — we watch the sunset and then we get to view the fireworks from the boat,” Ms. Dye said. Ms. Reville “has done this for many years, and without her, we couldn’t have the fireworks.”
Tickets for the cruise cost $150. The fireworks will be launched from Umbrella Beach and will be viewable from the oceanside beaches of downtown Montauk.
Sag Harbor
On Saturday night, the Sag Harbor Yacht Club is scheduled to set off its annual John A. Ward fireworks show at 9:30. WLNG 92.1 FM will be broadcasting a soundtrack to accompany the show, and spectators will be able to see the pyrotechnics from all around the village’s business district, according to the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce, with great views available from Marine Park, Long Wharf, Havens Beach, and Steinbeck Park.
Amagansett
The Devon Yacht Club’s display, also on Saturday night, is set to begin at 9:15. The club is private, but notes on its website that it has been hosting the show since 1947 for both its members and for their “neighbors in Amagansett and East Hampton.” The fireworks can be seen from the public beaches along Gardiner’s Bay.
Springs
The Clamshell Foundation’s Independence Day fireworks over Three Mile Harbor are scheduled for July 12, beginning at 9 p.m., with a rain date of July 13.
“This is a tradition that goes back over 40 years. It’s the oldest running show of the Grucci family that they’ve been putting on for consecutive years,” Bill Kalbacher, the director of the Clamshell Foundation, said. Rossetti Perchik, who founded the foundation, took on the task of the annual celebration in 1992, and Mr. Kalbacher has been at the helm since Mr. Perchik’s death in 2016.
“The camaraderie with the pyrotechnicians from Grucci is spectacular, and dealing with the Grucci family organization is always a pleasure. I made a commitment to my friend when he was passing that I would keep this going as long as I possibly can, and we’re doing it.” Mr. Kalbacher added that this year’s show is dedicated to Meghan Payne, a Springs School teacher who died in January. “She was an incredible woman who touched lives in so many ways, and we wanted to get it out there that this year’s event is dedicated to her.”
The radio host Brian Cosgrove will be broadcasting a soundtrack live on WLIW-FM 88.3 FM (88.7 in Montauk). “It’s so fun to work with the folks with Grucci,” Mr. Cosgrove said, adding that they send him a block of music every year, timed perfectly to accompany their show. “It’s kind of like launching a rocket, you know. I’m on the phone with one of their techno guys, and they count me down — we’re going to go in a minute, and then we’re going to go in 30 seconds. And then I hit the music.”
Mr. Cosgrove recommends tuning in on one of the FM frequencies for the most accurate timing, but said listeners can also access the broadcast on the WLIW-FM website.
The Clamshell Foundation website lists recommended viewing locations as Maidstone Park, Sammy’s Beach, Gann Road, the beaches off Hand’s Creek Road and Springy Banks Road, and the head of Three Mile Harbor.
Shelter Island
The Shelter Island fireworks are also scheduled for 9 p.m. on July 12, with a rain date of June 13, viewable from Crescent Beach. The show is funded by a dedicated nonprofit, Shelter Island Fireworks, Inc., which was started in 2015 by a group of locals to ensure the tradition would continue.
East Hampton
Finally, the East Hampton Fire Department’s annual display on Main Beach is scheduled for Aug. 16. The rain date is Aug. 17. The department has been running the show for over 80 years. The fireworks are set to go off when it gets dark, between 8:30 and 9 p.m.
