A sudden change to Minnesota's COVID-19 restrictions in May caught many off-guard, including the state's fireworks industry.
Northern Lighter Pyrotechnics, a pyrotechnics non-profit, is responsible for some of the state's most spectacular fireworks shows, including the show in Delano, home of the self-proclaimed "Oldest and Largest 4th of July Celebration in Minnesota."
"This year, we didn't even know we were going to be able to do a display in Delano until the middle of May when Governor Walz announced restrictions would be rolled-back by July 1," said Gregory Glavan, a spokesman and volunteer with the Northern Lighter Pyrotechnics crew.
For the past six weeks, Glavan and the volunteers he works with have been hustling to deliver the show scheduled for just after 10 p.m. Sunday night in Delano.
"We usually spend about 10 months planning the Delano display," Glavan said. "We start planning in October and usually start with the music that we will include in the show. We usually want the show to go about half-an-hour."
The crew then goes through and labels the shells, manufactures devices needed for the show, and once all that work is done, the set-up begins.
"There's about 10 of us who work on the Delano show year-round and it takes about 40 people to set-up and break down the display," added Glavan.
Even though Northern Lighter Pyrotechnics is a non-profit, they must still abide by restrictions and laws surrounding fireworks. With the group being made-up of volunteers, that also factors into how much time it takes to build and set-up the show.
"How long it takes depends on how many volunteers show up for a given purpose," Glavan said. "All of our volunteers have real jobs. I am a dentist."
Since May, there have been some extremely late nights.
"I've been living off of about five hours of sleep per night for the last six weeks," Glavan said. "My wife hates this time of year."
2021 hopes to be an abnormality in many ways, especially for Glavan and his colleagues in the fireworks industry. Fireworks supplies have been low due to manufacturing and shipping issues in and out of China. Even if cargo ships carrying fireworks reach the United States shores, they're often not prioritized due to the lack of dock workers according to Glavan.
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Luckily Northern Lighter Pyrotechnics has been able to maintain their supply and deliver fireworks displays this year. Even with the final sprint and sleepless nights leading up to Delano's show, there's something about fireworks that keeps Glavan coming back for more.
"There's a saying in the pyrotechnics industry that, 'Once you smell the smoke that you're never again free.' There's a lot of truth to that," he added. "I'm 58 and for several years now I keep telling myself I can't keep doing this. But it's the smell of the smoke and the roar of the crowd that keeps me coming back."
Organizers of Delano's 4h of July celebration expect more than 15,000 people to attend this year's fireworks on the dike near Central Park.