A cross on the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona is silhouetted as fireworks explode in the background during a show Sunday night by Starfire Corp. Mirror photo by Holly Claycomb
Fireworks have been filling the night skies as Fourth of July revelers set off consumer-grade products in anticipation of larger, professional shows, much like the one set off by Starfire Corp. that capped off Sunday evening’s activities at the Railroaders Memorial Museum.
For the Terrizzi family, owners of Starfire Corp., the show was a homecoming of sorts.
“Every show, we’re honored to perform,” said Vince Terrizzi Jr., who along with his dad, Vince Sr., mom, Jean, and sister, Linda, operate the family firework business.
“We were honored to come down to Altoona, it’s as much home as anywhere around us,” he said, adding that as kids, he and his sister were in Altoona and the surrounding area for shopping at the mall, movies and visits to DelGrosso’s and Lakemont parks.
Based in Carrolltown, Starfire Corp. holds the contract for the New York Mets — that’s 44 shows this year — as well as shows at such iconic venues as the St. Louis Arch and the Statue of Liberty.
John Rajnish, (right) a section foreman with Rosebud Mining, and Nick Sherry, a tire builder with Specialty Tires in Indiana, adjust fuses on hand-lit fireworks Sunday afternoon behind the Railroaders Memorial Museum. Mirror photo by Holly Claycomb
Recently, Starfire crews helped Pittsburgh celebrate Juneteenth, Vince Sr. said, and for anyone heading to Beaver Stadium for the fireworks show tonight, Starfire will be there hours ahead of time, setting the charges and wiring the controllers.
Each show is different, the Terrizzis said, based on the size of the area in which they’re working, the distance from the crowd and buildings, and the size of the budget.
Putting on shows is just one aspect of the business, which has expanded in its 50-plus years. Starfire is in more than a dozen states, the family said, and has three manufacturing facilities creating made-in-America products.
“It keeps us really busy, 365 days,” Vince Jr. said.
Fourth of July frenzy
Electrician Jerry Naugle wires a cake for the fireworks show Sunday at the Railroaders Memorial Museum. A cake includes 228 shots, creating a 3-minute multi-fireworks blast. Mirror photo by Holly Claycomb
Of course, the days leading up to and following the July 4 holiday are their busiest times of the year, Vince Jr. said.
Between the Juneteenth celebration in Pittsburgh last week and Sunday, July 9, Starfire crews will set off 182 shows in 18 states, he said.
The company has 16 full-time employees and more than 400 part timers all over the country, Vince Jr. said, noting the company also takes on smaller jobs for organizations and individuals, such as weddings and, on the flip side, divorce parties.
On Sunday, Vince Sr. was on hand in Altoona, regaling his local crew with stories from past events, including the recent Ford City show on Saturday.
There, the rain and clouds made for an uncertain showtime.
“All of a sudden, about 9 p.m., it cleared up,” the elder Terrizzi said. “We started shooting, and the moon and stars came out.”
He likes it when the weather works in his favor, not only because crowds are already gathered, but because the crews that help set up and take down the equipment have full-time jobs somewhere else.
“The guys have full-time jobs and take off to help a few days before and after the Fourth,” Vince Sr. said.
Sunday’s crew included electrician and pyrotechnician Jerry Naugle, who owns his own business, Naugle Electric Service.
He was setting up cakes of fireworks and wiring the remote controllers for the evening’s show, which featured both hand-lit explosives and electronic batches. The cakes — blocks of 228 shots connected in a series — that last about three minutes, he said.
He also has a small business setting off fireworks for events, he said but helps out Starfire when a need arises, since he knows both electric circuits and electronics.
The crew also included a coal miner, a water authority foreman and a tire builder, along with John Terrizzi, Vince Sr.’s brother, who’s been working with his brother for more than 50 years.
John Rajnish, a section foreman with Rosebud Mining, said he grew up around fireworks.
He was joined in setting up the volleys and adjusting the fuses by Nick Sherry, a tire builder with Specialty Tires in Indiana, and Eric McCoy, a foreman for the DuBois water plant.
As the story goes, Rajnish grew up around the Starfire environment as his father worked with the Terrizzis. Sherry, too, grew up with fireworks in his blood thanks to his grandfather. McCoy said he just likes fireworks.
“I showed up one day, knocked on the door and asked if they’d adopt me,” McCoy said to a round of laughter.
Safety a priority
All joking aside, the Terrizzis and their crew said when it comes to setting up and firing off the fireworks, safety is their No. 1 priority and should also be the top concern for people setting up consumer-grade fireworks.
Wind plays a major role in how the fireworks are set off, they said, noting “you don’t want sparks on your back.”
The weather, either rain or drought, is also taken into consideration.
“We have gone from one extreme to another,” McCoy said of recent weather challenges.
The St. Louis show scheduled to be held two weeks ago was canceled due to drought and is rescheduled for later this year, hopefully after that region gets much-needed rain.
There are other challenges, as well.
Probably the most disheartening matter in the business today is YouTubers who turn the fun into “dark stuff,” said Vince Jr.
“All this stuff is to be for fun and entertainment,” he said, pointing out the YouTube videos make fireworks into something scary and dangerous because they’re showing off.
“It’s supposed to be fun,” he said. “Drinking and doing drugs while you’re doing fireworks” isn’t smart.
Looking to the future
While fireworks originated in China and much of the product is still imported from that country, Starfire Corp. has been working to expand its American-made products, Vince Jr. said.
The family never thought the company would be as large as it is, but were told by friends in the business that if they wanted to stay small, they wouldn’t make it.
“We were told to go big” or don’t go at all, he said.
Vince Sr., who learned from the old masters and is a master shell builder himself, “still has his finger in the pie of how it’s made,” the younger Terrizzi said.
They’ve spent the last three or four years focusing on the manufacturing end, with the elder Terrizzi stating that this year’s colors are some of the most vivid he’s seen.
“Making our own specialty stuff sets us aside from others,” Vince Jr. said. “We have a lot of neat stuff coming in 2024 product-wise,” he said.
Also next year, they’re set to represent America in Berlin, Germany, during an international fireworks show.
“We will pack up our stuff and head over to Europe and put on a show with our American-made products as well as ones bought from other countries,” Vince Jr. said.
Despite the costs involved — Starfire Corp. carries a $10 million liability insurance. While July 4th is often celebrated with fast food around a makeshift table at a show site, the Terrizzis and their crews said they have a blast.
“I wouldn’t give it up,” Vince Jr. said. “I’m blessed to be able to work with mom and dad every day and my sister, too, along with all the other people.”
“We have a great bunch of people… we’re blessed,” he said.
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