By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
The person with the best view of the fireworks at Lake of the Woods rarely sees much of the show.
It has been that way for 38 years for Chuck Thompson.
It’s not likely to change in Year 39 on this July 4th.
The Mahomet resident is on the firing line, back behind the crowd, and surrounded by the elite few who help set off the annual fireworks display.
Thompson’s job was the reason for his original involvement.
“I was on the fire department (in 1980) and the fire department shot the fireworks,”
Thompson said. “I helped with that.”
He was a novice in both ventures in 1980.
“I came on (the department) in June, 1980,” he said.
The fireworks display is at its second location since Thompson joined. In his first six years, the event was held west of town, at Taylor Field. They were then relocated to their current home at Lake of the Woods.
The Chamber of Commerce eventually took over the fireworks program from the fire department and Thompson kept on volunteering.
“Over the years, we’ve worked with a lot of different suppliers,” he said.
When financing became an issue, and the Chamber was about to abandon the celebratory display in 1992, Thompson helped to keep the tradition going.
“A group of us talked to the forest preserve, and the forest preserve allowed us to continue having it,” Thompson said. “We had a committee of local people and we did fund-raising.”
Things were going smoothly through the 2001 fireworks display. Little more than two months after that celebration, the 9/11 terrorist attacks took place.
The ripple-down effect was felt locally.
“After 9/11, we (volunteers) had to get fingerprinted and licensed,” Thompson said. “I’m a licensed pyrotechnician.”
The forest preserve remains the sponsor that provides the location and manpower, but not monetary assistance.
A seven-member committee – of which Thompson is the president – is in charge of raising the approximately $12,000 needed annually for the fireworks, porta pottys and other expenses.
That’s not the only change Thompson has witnessed during his years of service.
For decades, all of the fireworks were triggered manually.
“Now, we do very little hand-firing,” Thompson said. “Ninety-five percent of it is electronically done.”
The advantage is obvious.
“It’s safer doing it electronically,” Thompson said. “There are no open flames.”
That is not to imply that there were problems when using the human touch.
“We bring the fire truck just in case,” Thompson said. “We’ve had one minor injury and that was because a guy wore tennis shoes.”
Back in the day, a dozen – or more – people were needed behind the scenes to put on the fireworks show. Some would do the firing. Some would clean the tune and drop in shells. Others were on standby, overseeing and troubleshooting.
“We can do the entire show now with four people,” Thompson said.
The show, which starts at dusk, typically lasts about 35 to 40 minutes.
Thompson estimated that there are between 400 to 450 shells that will go off.
His role doesn’t allow him to enjoy much of the spectacle.
“I’m more about what has to happen next so we don’t have downtime, so I don’t get to watch much of the show,” he said.
“We try to always have something in the air.”
Not being a keen observer of the fireworks is different than when Thompson was a child.
“I always loved watching them,” he said.
Thompson is also involved with the music, but not the selections.
“It’s not choreographed, but I try to coordinate it,” he said. “I get the music in advance and listen to the playlist at least three times.
“I look at what we have (fireworks-wise). I choreograph, but without a computer.”
Thompson is now one of three assistant chiefs for the Cornbelt Fire Department and is the senior-ranking active member of the department.
As such, he wouldn’t mind getting others trained to help with the fireworks.
“I don’t see myself stepping away for a while,” Thompson said. “but I would like to get someone else licensed.”
There is a process for that to take place.
“You have to shoot three or four shows consecutively (annually) and then you can take your (licensing) test,” Thompson said.
Though the majority of those involved are also members of the fire department, that is not a requirement.
“We have one National Guard member,” Thompson said.
The setup usually begins around 1 o’clock and requires about five to six hours to complete.
Sometimes, Mother Nature has her own ideas on the timing.
“You can’t load shells if it’s going to be raining, and if you load them, you’re pretty much committed to shooting the show,” Thompson said.
He remembers one close call.
“A couple years ago, it rained on us,” he said. “We finished (setup) about 9 o’clock (with the show scheduled to start at 9:15).”
The celebration is a significant one for Thompson.
“It’s not just about shooting fireworks,” he said. “We celebrate our freedoms and what our forefathers did 200-plus years ago.
“There are so many freedoms – the right to vote and not be under a dictatorship for example – and it’s a touching thing to honor the current service people and the veterans that are there.
“It’s a good way to give back to the community.”
A Gibson City native, Thompson has lived in Mahomet since 1975. He is the co-owner of P&P Heating and Cooling.
He emphasized that there’s more than himself and those who assist him on the firing lines who are responsible for pulling off the show annually.
“We couldn’t put this on without the volunteers,” Thompson said, “and we’re constantly looking for volunteers.”
The duties of volunteers can include parking, helping at the gate and working in the area utilized by patrons with disabilities. Other volunteers are involved with the park cleanup.
Thompson just recalls one year that the event wasn’t held. The issue wasn’t too much rain.
“It was because of the drought in the late 1990s,” he said.
While he has enjoyed his decades-long commitment, Thompson acknowledged that occasionally he thinks he has had enough.
“I’ve said, ‘I’m too old for this,’ but as soon as the first ‘boom’ goes off, I say, ‘OK, I’m back,’ “ he said.
The rain date for this year’s show is July 5th. Central States Fireworks, in Athens, has supplied the product used for nearly the past decade.
There are some changes in the display from year-to-year, but one aspect remains untouched.
“The waterfall scene is pretty much always the same,” Thompson said.
Admission charge is $2 person. Children 5-and-under are free as are military persons, with an ID.
Gates open at 3 p.m.
