| Zippy Zambellis | |
|
Dateline: April 18, 2002
With the Run for the Roses fast approaching, George Zambelli Sr. and his crew are busily unloading eight fireworks-packed tractor-trailers in Louisville, Kentucky to set up for the largest annual fireworks production in America, Thunder Over Louisville. The president and general manager of Zambelli Fireworks Internationale has worked in the family business since the age of 7, when he started rolling firecracker tubes. His family has provided the firepower for the Kentucky Derby Festival's opening ceremonies since 1991, and this year's show, held on Saturday, April 20, will be their largest ever. Over 2,000 professionals and volunteers, along with Zambelli pyrotechnicians, will produce the seven-hour televised entertainment extravaganza which features one of the top five air shows in America and concludes with the 30-minute non-stop fireworks finale, a performance that is larger than the opening and closing ceremonies of the Atlanta and Barcelona Olympics combined.
Over
100 years ago, George's father, Antonio Zambelli, emigrated from Italy,
bringing the fireworks artistry with him and founding the family-run company
that has garnered the reputation of being the oldest and largest fireworks
company in America. All of Zambelli's five children and two sons-in-law work
in the family business, founded in 1893. Daughters Marcy & Danabeth, groomed
from childhood to love and understand fireworks, operate the Boca Raton,
Florida office, while George, his wife Connie, his daughter Annlyn and four
other family members are based at the company's national headquarters in New
Castle, PA outside of Pittsburgh. They employ 50 year-round employees and
hundreds of seasonal workers.
Each firework shell is still handmade, much the same as they were a century ago, taking three weeks from start to finish and requiring a combination of science, creativity and meticulous care. Artistic sketches and sophisticated computer technology are then used to create the dazzling "paintings" in the sky. Son-in-law Michael Richards, a master choreographer for more than 20 years, spent months designing this year's Thunder show - selecting the shells and matching them to music with split-second timing to create the final awe-inspiring fireworks spectacular - a patriotic themed "Stars & Stripes Thunder," with plenty of red, white and blue fireworks to light up the night sky.
Up one from last year (for a total of 51,333), over 60 tons of fireworks shells, some larger than basketballs, will be fired from 1,800 feet of barges and two Ohio River bridges. The show requires 2 million pounds of sand and 250 tons of firing tubes of all sizes, up to 10 feet high and 1 1/2 feet in diameter. As much as 700 miles of wire cable connects 20 laptop computers to the command post for synchronization to music.
In addition to producing the fireworks display for Thunder Over Louisville, the Zambellis have produced such events as the Statue of Liberty Anniversary Celebration in New York City; the National Victory Celebration for the return of the Desert Storm troops in Washington, D.C.; presidential displays for Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Reagan and Clinton; and Papal visits to the United States and Toronto.
Next page >
Anatomy of a Firework
> Page 1, 2
Fireworks Photo ©2001 Zambelli Fireworks Internationale
Used with Permission.
URL:
http://pittsburgh.about.com/library/weekly/aa041802a.htm
©
2002
Kimberly & Albrecht Powell. Licensed to About.com. All
Rights Reserved.
