The vibrant bursts of electric color, the haze of post-show smoke — fireworks are a summertime spectacle in the sky. But without the roaring booms and pops, or the crowd’s “ooooh’s” and “ahhhhh’s,” the experience gets dangerously close to watching a snazzy screen saver on your computer.
Those huge, sparkly explosions may take center stage visually, but they aren’t big players on the audio front. Bob Kerns, director of operations for Melrose Pyrotechnics — which provides all of the City of Chicago’s and Navy Pier’s displays — says the only fireworks designed to give noise are dubbed “salutes.”
“All the other ones are just color, and what you’ll hear there is a sort of ‘thump’ when it leaves out of the mortar or a suppressed bang in the air when it explodes, but salutes are the loudest thing in the fireworks show,” Kern says.
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“Often the music dictates when and which type of fireworks are used, so a smaller salute, called a ‘report,’ might be used to accent … certain parts of the music.”
Most shows around town feature recorded music to accent the highs and lows of the display, but Chicago’s Independence Eve Fireworks (8 p.m. July 3; free; Grant Park, 300 S. Columbus Drive; 312-744-3315) kick it up a few notches with an accompanying concert by the Grant Park Orchestra. They’re scheduled to perform Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Chicago area residents can find fireworks filling the sky almost every summer week in different locations. Here are but a few ways to see — and hear — fireworks:
Evanston Fireworks: 9:15 p.m. fireworks July 4. Clark Street Beach, 400-499 Clark St., Evanston; 847-328-1500. Free.
Eyes to the Skies Balloon Festival: June 30-July 4. Lisle Community Park, 1825 Short St., Lisle; 630-575-9798. $10, $2 for kids ages 5-12. Nightly fireworks at this outdoor, suburban fest.
Glencoe Fireworks: July 4; free. Glencoe Beach, Park Avenue and Lake Michigan, Glencoe; 847-835-3030. Festivities include a beach barbecue, live music and fireworks at 9 p.m.
Itasca Fireworks: July 4. Hamilton Lakes Park, 100-198 Park Blvd., Itasca; 630-773-0835. Free, $15 parking fee. Fourth of July celebration includes live music by Peter Frampton (8 p.m.), food and beverage vendors, and a fireworks display.
Lake Forest Festival and Fireworks: July 4. Deerpath Community Park, 400 Hastings Rd., Lake Forest; 847-234-6700. Free. Independence Day festivities include live music, food vendors, a beer garden, kids’ activities and fireworks set to music (9:30 p.m.).
Naperville Ribfest: July 4 (fest also noon-10 p.m. June 30-July 4). Knoch Park, 700 S. West St., Naperville; ribfest.net. $10, free for kids ages 11 and under, free for all after 6 p.m. on July 4, no admittance after 9:30 p.m. Naperville’s 4th of July fireworks display is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. July 4.
Navy Pier: 9:30 p.m. Wed., 10:15 p.m. Sat., weekly through Sept. 1 (also July 3 and Sept. 2); free. Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.; 312-595-7437.
Wheeling Freedom Fest: 9:30 p.m. July 4 (fest also 5 p.m.-midnight July 3, 3-11 p.m. July 4). Wheeling Park District Community Recreation Center, 333 Dundee Rd., Wheeling; 773-868-3010. Free.
50th annual Venetian Night: July 28. Monroe Harbor, 100 S. Lake Shore Drive; 312-744-3370. Free. A procession of lighted boats (8:30 p.m.) is followed by a fireworks display set to music.
Fireworks paddle: 7:15-10:45 p.m. Wed., 8-11:30 p.m. Sat., weekly through Sept. 1. Kayak Chicago, 1501 N. Magnolia Ave.; 630-336-7245.
Fireworks cruises:
*7-10 p.m. Wed., 8:15-11:15 p.m. Sat., weekly through Sept. 1; $79.90. Mystic Blue Cruises at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.; 877-299-7854. Three-hour cruise on Lake Michigan.
*9 p.m. Wed., 9:45 p.m. Sat., weekly through Sept. 1; $10-$22. Shoreline Sightseeing Cruises, Illinois Street and Streeter Drive (adjacent to Navy Pier); 312-222-9328. One-hour cruise on Lake Michigan.
*7-10 p.m. Wed., 8-11 p.m. Sat., weekly through Sept. 1; $95-$117. Odyssey Cruises, 600 E. Grand Ave.; 888-957-2322. Three-hour cruise on Lake Michigan.
*8:30 p.m. Wed., 9 p.m. Sat., weekly through Sept. 1; $9-$22. Mercury Skyline Cruise Line, 390 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-332-1353. 90-minute lakefront cruise.
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