Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Didn't get a chance to catch any fireworks either Wednesday or Thursday night to celebrate the Fourth of July? Not to worry!
Check out a number of other Fourth of July weekend festivities with fireworks that are set to take place across Western New York:
Cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda:
Fourth of July festivities in the Twin Cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda will have a bit of a different twist this year, and possibly for years to come.
This year, Tonawanda and North Tonawanda are joining forces to bring residents in both cities the "Light Up The Sky" fireworks extravaganza to celebrate America's Independence on Friday, July 5 at 10 p.m. ET.
This year's fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July will be set off on Tonawanda Island on the property owned by Nostra Development. These fireworks range from 600-to-800 feet high, which will allow the fireworks to be visible from all corners of the Twin Cities, including Niawanda Park (Tonawanda), Gratwick Park (North Tonawanda) Klimek's Veterans Park (North Tonawanda) and several other locations.
"We are so happy to do this with North Tonawanda because it does a couple of things: It cuts our money in half that we need to come up with that beautiful fireworks that are going to happen, and also the fact that we get to share, with our brothers and sisters from North Tonawanda, a great event like this," said Tonawanda Mayor John White.
First responders will be present during the event, as Tonawanda Island will be closing its access from 9:30 p.m. ET until the end of the fireworks for safety reasons.
No public dollars are being used to support the "Light Up The Sky" event, as it is entirely paid for by the generous support of community business sponsors.
"Thanks to Mayor White and I, and all of our wonderful sponsors, we were able to raise over $20,000, which is exciting," said North Tonawanda Mayor Austin White. "And one of our key sponsors, if I could name, is World Generation X with a $10,000 sponsorship. Other sponsors include Carruba and Company, Milton Cat, Joey's Place, Knights of Columbus, the Elks Lodge, Mississippi Mudds and Old Man River. Very exciting."
The locally-owned and operated professional fireworks company, Skylighters Fireworks NY, will be providing the professional services for the fireworks showing in the Tonawandas.
"We have the 25-to-30-minute fireworks display that we're gonna produce with a wide variety of color shapes, sizes and effects, ranging between 600 and 800 feet in the air, to be able to view them from anywhere in the surrounding areas," said Matt Shaw from Skylighters. "Obviously, there's a lot of logistics that we have to work through, not only permitting and ensuring that we have the proper location and a fallout zone to do this, injunction with the U.S. Coast Guard and their presence out there on the water also. Independence Day and to carry on right to the weekend, the 5th is a great day for fireworks, and we hope to have everybody come out to see an awesome display on the 5th."
After this year's fireworks display, if all goes well, both mayors are hopeful this will be a long-term plan for Fourth of July festivities in the Twin Cities.
"Assuming Nostra Development still likes us as much as they do, we're hoping this is a long-term partnership," Tylec said. "That's one of the struggles, as you could probably pick up on, is where we put these firework displays to make that impact, and still have that safety piece involved."
Town of Colden:
The Town of Colden is having its big Fourth of July celebration on Saturday at Walter Kummer Town Park on Park Street. Festivities start at 6 p.m. ET with the band is South City playing, featuring a local member of the band that grew up in Colden.
"We also have an ice cream trailer by the name of Hitching Post that makes sundaes and scooped ice cream that will be present. Also, the local Boy Scout Troop will be selling hotdogs, hamburgers, chips and pop. And then we have another resident that will be selling kettle corn made on site throughout the night," said Colden Town Supervisor James DePasquale. "Then at approximately 9:45-to-10 o'clock, the fireworks will kick off, done by Skylighters of NY."
DePasquale has been watching the weather forecast for a few days leading up to Saturday's festivities, and is optimistic with how everything continues to trend in a positive direction.
"It's calling for a clear night, so that will make it a great event. It's an awesome park to see fireworks in, it's on the side of the hillside. It's really a good town family event," DePasquale said.
However, if the weather does go South unexpectedly, DePasquale says they would postpone the fireworks to a further date.
"It probably wouldn't be like a week away so I could re-plan everything that we've done, and make sure everybody's available," he said.
For anyone that is maybe heading to Colden for their fireworks show this Saturday, DePasquale reminds folks there is one driveway in and out of the park, so proceed with caution with the amount of people expected.
"The parking will be up at the top. When it's very crowded, the fire company is also involved with the event, and they take care of managing people leaving. We clear the park within 10 minutes, but we just need people to be patient and be courteous to each other," DePasquale said. "We've never had a problem. We can clear the park of 400 cars within 15 minutes with the way the fire company does it."
Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence:
The Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence is hosting its annual Fourth of July Carnival this weekend. The doors open at 12 p.m. ET on both Friday and Saturday, while Saturday will see the Carnival come to a close with a large fireworks showing around 9:30-to-10 p.m. ET.
"We have lots of great rides that we offer to most families. Most of our rides are family-friendly that all ages, kids, parents can get on together, which is what we've always strived for," said Lynn Ritchie, President of Hammerl Amusements, who has partnered with the Great Pumpkin Farm. "We have games, lots of family-friendly games, lots of things for the kids to do. There's face painting for the kids, balloon twisting for the kids from 1-to-5 p.m. every day. Lots of great food, Kelly Schultz will have his bar open and we have bands playing every day."
Ritchie is also optimistic about the weather forecast for Saturday night in Clarence. While last year saw the fireworks show canceled due to weather, they don't plan on doing that this year.
"We will go pretty much rain or shine. I think if we get anything, it might be just a little bit of light rain, maybe on Friday night into Saturday morning. But it looks like it's gonna be a really good three days, and I'm excited to have some good weather every day," Ritchie said.
Parking and admission to the Fourth of July Carnival this weekend in Clarence is free, with the only charge for patrons being the rides. Ritchie adds there is a coupon on Hammerl Amusement's Facebook page for $5 off a wristband at the ticket booth for those who show up between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. ET.
As for advice on Saturday's fireworks show, Ritchie says to arrive early, as the parking lot gets full pretty quickly.
Holiday Valley in Ellicottville:
Fourth of July weekend is expected to be a busy one for folks in the Village of Ellicottville, as the Summer Music Festival will be taking place. One of the venues for the weekend of festivities will be Holiday Valley.
"They'll have live music on the 5th down in the village at the gazebo, that's kind of their kickoff to the fun-filled weekend. And then on the 6th, we've got the concert series up at Holiday Valley," said Dash Hegeman from Holiday Valley. "At 7 o'clock, they'll start playing music, and around 9:15, their main performance is going to take place, which features Marc Martel and One Vision of Queen, a Queen cover band. Marc's got a reputation as being a really good lead singer, and sounds very close to [Freddie Mercury], so excited about that."
Then on Sunday, the big fireworks celebration takes place at Holiday Valley with a special musical guest joining the closing of festivities in Ellicottville.
"The Buffalo Philharmonic comes down and puts on a show that starts around 8 o'clock. When that culminates, we'll have our fireworks show that we put on every single year," Hegeman said. "The weather looks great. Or Double Black Diamond golf courses open, Sky High Adventure Park is open, the public pools will probably be a very popular place to be this weekend. Lots going on, and it's gonna be great a Fourth of July weekend down in Ellicottville."
Like many others in Western New York, the confidence is high with Hegeman that the weather will be prestige for Sunday's send off to the Summer Music Festival.
Hegeman says the weekend is a very family-friendly event in Ellicottville, and he's very happy to be able to welcome back the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra for another year.
"The main lawn area where the concert takes place is excellent for families. You can just kind of let your kids roam and run free, while you sit back and enjoy some food and drinks, and take in the show," Hegeman noted. "Every year, this turns out to be one of the most popular events that takes place in Ellicottville throughout the summer, and we're looking forward to it."
More information about Summer Music Festival or what's happening this summer at Holiday Valley is available at HolidayValley.com.