Lansing Community Council puts on fireworks show

By Jamie Swinnerton
Tompkins Weekly

 

Fourth of July will soon be upon us. Fireworks, flags, hotdogs, and parades from all corners of the county will soon help the community celebrate in true American fashion. While each community will be celebrating in different ways, at different times, there are some things we can all count on. One of those things is the free fireworks show at Myers Park organized by the Lansing Community Council and funded almost entirely by the community through donations and raffles. So, while watching the show at 9:30 p.m. this Saturday, June 30, community members that contributed know that they were an integral part of the celebration.

Dennis Griffin is one of the main organizers of the event and a member of the Lansing Community Council. Griffin said that, along with community donations, the event is helped out by several local businesses including The Rose in the Triphammer Mall and a few of the local wineries, which donate items for the raffle that helps fund the event.

“We just started doing it a few years ago because people were asking if we could do it,” Griffin said. “We took it on just as a community event.”
This year’s event will feature music from Iron Horse, a southern rock and Texas blues band whose members are from the Ithaca area. The band is also part of the concert series at Myers Park this year. The music will start at 6 p.m. and will stop when it’s dark, around 9:30 p.m., for the fireworks show. After the fireworks finish the band will be playing for another hour.

Since the event’s beginning, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department has helped with road control. The park will close to traffic at 8 p.m. so those looking to drive to the park to watch the fireworks show should arrive before that time. But there will be bus transportation from Lansing Central School to the park. Buses will run until the last person is out of the park. Hatfield Catering will be in attendance to feed hose on hand who attend the event, however residents are free to bring their own food too. It is suggested that attendees bring their own chairs.
This year’s event is being held on Saturday, June 30 because the fireworks company was available, and no other events wer being held at the park. While the event is free Griffin said donations are welcome.

To put on the event, the Community Council organizes and contracts with several other local entities. The school for the buses, the Sheriff’s Department for traffic control, and the Lansing Parks and Recreation Department for the space. Steve Colt, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department for the Town of Lansing, said the park’s role is limited to the logistics of setting things up within the park for the band and the fireworks themselves, which are shot from Salt Point.

“The night really belongs to the Lansing Community Council,” Colt said.

The event has been a success since the beginning, bringing a crowd of thousands, Griffin said. This year the event is expected to be just as popular. Since this is not the event’s first year, Colt said attendees pretty much know where to go and when, so it’s not a difficult event to put on.

“It’s just that you have to get used to how you handle the volume of people that come and we’re kind of getting used to that now either through the fireworks or through our concert series on Thursdays,” Colt said. “It’s just learning about how the volume of people and the traffic flow works and then getting a plan together.”

Other fireworks events planned for the area include the Ithaca Rotary Community Fireworks event on Tuesday, July 3. The pre-show starts at 6 p.m. with food and music, and fireworks will start at dusk, prime viewing locations are Cass and Stewart Park. On Friday, July 6, the Groton Community Fireworks will be held at the Groton Elementary School. On Saturday, July 7 after an all-day picnic at the Inn at Taughannock, fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m.