Hot Rods’ fireworks show requires months of planning and prep

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – There’s only one way to end the day on the Fourth of July – attending a local fireworks show or shooting some off on your own.

Throughout the holiday weekend, firework displays will be taking place across the southcentral Kentucky area, including inside Bowling Green Ballpark.

There’s a lot more than meets the eye, though, when it comes to putting together these pyrotechnic performances.

“From day one this is the biggest night of the year,” said Wallace Brown, director of stadium operations at Bowling Green Ballpark.

July 4 is also the night the Bowling Green Hot Rods put on their biggest firework show of the summer.

Due to its length, planning for this particular show begins all the way back in December at baseball’s winter meetings.

“We lay out all of our firework shows, but then we talk specifically about July 4th because it’s our fireworks extravaganza spectacular,” said Hot Rods General Manager Eric Leach. “It’s about triple our normal firework show.”

The Hot Rods organization are no strangers to putting on a show – whether it’s on the baseball diamond or after the final out is recorded.

After every Friday night home game, the Hot Rods launch fireworks into the night sky, regardless of a Hot Rods win or loss.

Those shows typically run about five to six minutes long.

Their Fourth of July spectacular, however, clocks in at around 15 minutes.

“We build in some of those crescendos and then people think it’s over and they start applauding, and no, it’s halfway through,” Leach said. “We do that on purpose to keep everybody entertained and on the edge of their seats.”

There’s several safety measures and regulations the organization has to make sure are taken care of before they can light up the night sky for their fans to enjoy.

“As soon as the outfield’s cleared, secured, our security guards do a thorough walk-through to make sure everyone is cleared of that drop zone,” said Brown. “Then next thing you know we’re doing the 10 second countdown and lights are going down.”

While many firework shows take place in open areas, the Hot Rods’ show is confined to the inside the stadium, limiting which types of fireworks can be used during their shows.

“We don’t use the biggest shells, commercial shells that you see at some firework shows because we’re shooting it from the field,” added Leach. “We have to take into consideration what type of shells, the drop parameter and the safety concerns for fans.”

Once the finale has finished, the work carries on.

Debris from the exploded fireworks can be seen scattered throughout the outfield, meaning there’s about an hour’s worth of cleanup still to be done before the staff can go home.

“We just get a bunch of rakes and a bunch of leafblowers and start raking leaves like it’s fall,” said Brown.

It’s a lot of work to put on these types of spectacles, but anyone involved said it’s all worth it after they see the response from the fans that eagerly await the airborne entertainment.

“It’s just the sheer joy of us having the freedom and independence to do stuff like this and watch the ballpark get packed with families out,” said Leach. “It brings back a lot of fun memories, and that’s really what it’s about.”