Annual fireworks show ‘Boomtown’ to ignite Vinton on Saturday

VINTON - This is how the world starts - not with a whimper but with a boom.

At least, that's how things will kick off at Boomtown, Vinton's annual festival fireworks festival set to light up Saturday evening at the Benton County Fairgrounds.

Boomtown's multiple fireworks show is a heart-stopping experience that draws thousands from miles away, according to Tamara Stark, co-chairwoman of the planning committee.

'It's not just a show. It's an experience,” Stark said. 'You feel everything, you feel the percussions, you feel the heat, and it's awesome.”

Parking and gates to the fairground grandstands open at 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $10 for all ages; parking at the fairgrounds is $10.

The show will begin at 7:45 p.m. with a grand champion challenge - a competition of homemade firework shells created by the Iowa Pyrotechnic Association, the organization behind the Boomtown shows and one of the largest fireworks clubs in the state that offers hands-on education and promotion.

This year, as in past events, members of the Junior Pyros - or IPA members 18 or younger - also will present a fireworks show of their own once the lights go out at 9 p.m. and before the final grand public display, said IPA president Charles Yedlik.

The Junior Pyros, which is mostly made up of children of IPA members, aims to educate members of the basics of the craft, all while promoting safety of its use.

'Each year it gets bigger and better, and more youth have joined with their parents to the IPA, so that they can promote the safe use of fireworks,” Yedlik said. 'It is our hope to create an interest in the next generation, so as to protect the future of creating artistry in the sky, for generations to come to enjoy.”

Andrew Pingenot, 10, of Vinton, has been a Junior Pyros member for more than a year and has learned about class C fireworks - the consumer fireworks legalized in Iowa.

'You do a lot of interesting things, and you can learn a lot of cool fun things,” Andrew said.

Junior Pyros' members have a chance to lead and shoot a professional grade show at Vinton Boomtown each summer, all while learning skills like igniting shells by hand or with electronic firing systems.

Andrew's dad and IPA member Mark Pingenot, 41, said he's excited to share his passion with his son.

'As a parent, it's always rewarding having your kids interested in what you're interested in,” he said.

For more information on Vinton Boomtown, visit vintonboomtown.com.

l Comments: (319) 368-8536; michaela.ramm@thegazette.com