07/01/2024
It was an amazing evening last night at The Amp. Thank you to all and looking forward to the next time.
SO MUCH GRATITUDE... Please read. It's a long one.
The staff at Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Commission had an extraordinary weekend celebrating with everyone at Fireworks 2024 (Take 1 AND Take 2)!! It was an unprecedented event that turned into an unexpected weekend-long community celebration. We are thankful for many things, but most thankful everyone had fun and more importantly stayed safe.
Fireworks, Take 1 brought over 4000 people to Sam Michaels Park. While it appeared we would have a window to launch the fireworks show, that proved to not be the case when lightning struck the park. We want to thank everyone for remaining calm, looking out for others, having patience, and evacuating swiftly and orderly.
We especially thank our Jefferson County Sheriff's Office - WV, JCESA staff and volunteers, Jefferson County Sheriff's Reserves, Bakerton Fire Department, Friendship Fire Company, Shepherdstown Fire Department, Middleway Volunteer Fire Company, and Citizens Fire Company. They may still be wet after directing traffic and providing emergency services to ensure everyone got out of the park safely.
We thank the pyrotechnic team at Digital Lightning for an amazing show, in spite of the challenging weather-related conditions. Safety remained top priority throughout their (extended) time with us.
We thank the Kelly Bell Band for making us sing, dance, and be joyous together. Their professionalism on and off the stage was impressive and appreciated. We thank Kelly for maintaining calm and making sure everyone understood the rapidly changing weather complications. The concert was sponsored in part by a grant from the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation whose mission is to bring communities together through the power of FREE, LIVE music. We thank them.
Stagecoach Productions Sound and Lighting, LLC. worked through some of the hottest days to set-up and secure the equipment on the stage. Their system brought the Kelly Bell Band to everyone and more importantly made it possible for us to communicate with everyone in the field to make sure alerts were heard and understood.
We also thank our volunteers who give their time to make events a true community effort. For this event, there were many. We thank our spouses, partners, and children who believe in our work and often give sweat, muscle, and tears right along with us. They were with us until nearly midnight regrouping, replanning, and moving forward. We thank our Board for supporting our community and showing up to make events like this one happen.
FIREWORKS 2024, Take 2 brought a lot of uncertainty. Would people come back? YES, 5000 people came back!
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Hansen, our Jefferson County Sheriff's Reserves, and our local fire companies came together to make sure safety and security would continue to be the highest priority.
DJ Ray at Shenandoah Entertainment accepted a call in the middle of the night and postponed his own weekend plans to bring music, dancing, and fun to our AMP stage.
Once again volunteers, staff, and our own spouses, partners, and children rolled up their sleeves, lifted heavy things, slogged through muddy ground, made sure the field was reset, and cars were safely parked.
We had so much fun with bubbles, light sticks, dancing, and playing ball. We enjoyed the gentle breeze and most of all the dry, clear skies followed by FIREWORKS!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for being kind, patient, and calm. Thank you for keeping safety the priority and looking out for one another. Whether you were here for Take 1 or Take 2, or both, FIREWORKS 2024 really brought us the BEST of Jefferson County.
We would like to thank the Jefferson County Commission, West Virginia, The JC Parks and Rec Board, City of Ranson, The City of Charles Town, Shepherdstown, Town of Bolivar WV Corporation of Harpers Ferry - Municipal Government and Apple Valley Waste (in-kind) for financially supporting FIREWORKS 2024. Due to the storm, evacuation, and reschedule logistics, this event surpassed $40,000.
We would also like to thank everyone who donated to FIREWORKS at the gates or online. Your donations have us to the half-way point required for the FIREWORKS 2025 deposit! If you would like to donate, please follow this link: https://square.link/u/bfi5aC9z
No need to wait until next year to return to Sam Michaels Park... Join us for Levitt AMP Shenandoah Junction Music Series on Thursday evenings starting again on July 11. and/or on Fridays for Movie in the Park, starting again on July 12. Admission is free.
See you soon for more community fun!
