Firework displays may sparkle a little brighter this year as the South Fork kicks off celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary, with the return of Fourth of July pyrotechnics to East Hampton’s Main Beach topping the list.
Weather permitting, the East Hampton Fire Department’s fireworks at Main Beach are making a July comeback this year after years of August shows. Piping plovers, a federally protected species, are not nesting in the area this year. Years ago, the nesting birds forced so many cancellations of fireworks that the decision was made to move the annual show to August.
This year, the village and the East Hampton Village Foundation and Fire Department worked in concert with the town’s Natural Resources Department, the State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to secure approval for the July display.
A pre-fireworks musical performance will begin at 8 p.m.; the show will start after dark. A parking permit is not required for the show, but parking is limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis. In case of rain, Mayor Jerry Larsen said yesterday that the show would be postponed to Aug. 15.
The Stars Over Montauk fireworks display, presented by Gosman’s Dock, happens at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Fireworks will be launched from a barge outside the inlet. Prime viewing locations are Gosman’s, Gin Beach, and Inlet Seafood. Restaurants are taking advantage of the display to offer specials that night.
Complimentary shuttle service to those locations as well as to the Montauk Lighthouse will leave from Lions Field, the Kirk Park Beach parking lot, and the Malibu Motel. Shuttle service will run from 6 to 11 p.m.
The location is new this year to protect nesting piping plovers on the ocean beach, which were found in the final hours before last year’s show and resulted in a disappointing cancellation at the last minute.
The Montauk Chamber of Commerce can be contacted with questions at 631-668-2428 or [email protected]. The rain date is July 18.
The Devon Yacht Club’s Grucci Brothers fireworks display is private but can be easily seen from nearby beaches on Gardiner’s Bay, from Albert’s Landing all the way to Lazy Point Road. The show starts at 9:15 tomorrow night, and will be held on Sunday at the same time in case of rain.
In Sag Harbor, the Sag Harbor Yacht Club’s John A. Ward Independence Day fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday off Marine Park. The display can be viewed from all around the village waterfront, including at Havens Beach and Long Wharf. WLNG radio will be airing music to go along with the show. A rain date was not posted on the yacht club’s website.
The Clamshell Foundation’s Great Bonac Fireworks Show over Three Mile Harbor, another Grucci one, is scheduled for July 11 at 9 p.m., July 12 in case of rain. Prime viewing spots for that one include Maidstone Park, Sammy’s Beach, the commercial dock at Gann Road, the head of the harbor, and the road end at Hand’s Creek Road. A soundtrack to the show will be broadcast live on WLIW radio. The foundation is collecting donations on its website to help fund the show.
