Skip to main content

Explosive Production

Subhead
Luverne's Fourth of July celebration to feature fireworks show at The Lake
Lead Summary
By
Lori Sorenson

Luverne will have a Fourth of July fireworks show this year for the first time in over three decades.
And two local firemen, Jeremy Lehman and Jonathon Kurtz, will be in charge of lighting the fuses for the holiday show at The Lake in Luverne.
“I just want everyone to know we’re going to do this in Luverne,” Lehman said. “There’s something for people to do here — you don’t have to leave town for the Fourth of July.”
He and Kurtz agreed to become certified fireworks operators after city leaders approached them about it earlier this year.
They attended a daylong class in Watertown, South Dakota, in March and need to participate in five training events with licensed operators to complete their certification.
Luverne's event will count as one of those training runs.
Lehman said a good share of the instruction focuses on transportation of explosives.
“They need to be in an ATF approved magazine that can contain an explosion if need be,” he said.
“Also we talked a lot about maintaining a safe distance from crowds during shows.”
For every inch of diameter of a rocket there must be 70 feet of distance between fireworks and spectators.
“The biggest we can shoot is a 6-inch diameter, so we'll need a 420-foot buffer between spectators and us,” Lehman said. “Hopefully next year we can have bigger stuff.”
Operators must also consider surroundings such as cars, streets and buildings for possible fallout.
He said fireworks explode in the air and discharge minuscule pieces of biodegradable paper. There are some rare instances, though, when one fails to detonate, and operators must have a contingency plan in case this happens.
“We have it set up so that if one doesn't detonate it will go into the water,” Lehman said.
When asked why he agreed to train for the fireworks, he said he wanted to contribute to the community.
“People assume we're pyro-maniacs — and obviously blowing up fireworks is fun,” Lehman said. “But I wanted to make myself available and get involved in the community.”
Lehman and Kurtz are both volunteer firefighters with the Luverne Fire Department.
Lehman’s day job is at the South Dakota Air National Guard where he works as an intelligence analyst. Kurtz is a plumber with Kurtz Plumbing and Heating.
In addition to fireworks, the Fourth of July celebration in Luverne will include a water parade, log rolling contest, triathlon, bean bag tournament, sand castle contest, live music, face painting, food and beer vendors, and more.
Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere said Luverne's Fourth of July celebration has been a “groundswell” effort.
“The ideas, thoughts and energy to put the day's events together have come from a great group of volunteers who developed and came up with the plan for a full day's worth of entertainment at The Lake,” she said.
See the Luverne Area Chamber website, luvernechamber.com.
The all-day event is free and open to the public, thanks to donations from individuals and local sponsors.
To support the cause, tax-deductible donations can be made to the Luverne Initiatives For Tomorrow at 213 E. Luverne St., Luverne, MN 56156.

You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.