Fireworks Moved for Kent Heritage Fest

The fireworks show that is the closing act of Kent’s signature Heritage Festival is on the move. But the launch site relocation shouldn’t affect spectators who enjoy returning to the same viewing spots each year.

The annual pyrotechnic display, set for just after sunset July 2, will be launched from the former instead of the nearby Kramer Ball Fields at .

When the Redmond Bridge – which spans the Cuyahoga River from Stow Street to the ball fields – , most people thought only of the impact on youth baseball schedules.

But festival organizers with Kent United Services Organization realized they had a small problem: loss of their annual fireworks launch site.

Keith Ruttan, KUSO president, said that because many festivalgoers like watching the 15- to 20-minute fireworks show from the Main Street Bridge, organizers wanted to find a new launch site nearby.

They scored with the vacant 17-acre former RB&W site, owned by Memphis, TN-based Thomas Betts Corp. The parcel is located southeast of Kramer, across the CSX railroad tracks, which is just slightly further away from the favored Main Street Bridge fireworks viewing area.

Bill Griffith, KUSO treasurer, said securing use of the new site was a collaborative effort involving local fire department officials, Kent Economic Development Director Dan Smith, Kent Safety Director Bill Lillich and representatives from Thomas Betts Corp.

Griffith said John Idone, parks and recreation department director, “tried to do everything he could to help us still use the Kramer site, but it just wasn’t practical. That’s why we were really lucky the people at (Thomas Betts) were willing to step up and help us.”

This is the third time the fireworks launch site has been relocated in the past decade. The move to Kramer from was prompted by a tightening of Ohio Fire Code regulations, said Lt. Rich Lynn, fire prevention officer with the .

“Over the years, the state has been increasing the fallout diameter of the isolation zone required for fireworks," Lynn said. "When they did the last increase, we couldn’t shoot them off from Tannery Park anymore because the new isolation zone encompassed a portion of S.R. 59 ... It just became a logistical headache."

He said Kramer is a “perfect” launch site not only in size, but also “because it gave us a secure area where we could lock it down, since there’s only one way in and one way out (via the now-closed bridge).”

Griffith said there are still some details to work out before securing a State Fire Marshal permit for using the former RB&W site. “We need to get the fire department, police department and (representatives from American Fireworks in Hudson) there to make sure we put it in the best location on the site as possible,” he said.

Ruttan said the annual fireworks display is the single costliest aspect of the Kent Heritage Festival. Money for the $8,000 show comes from several sources, including fees charged by KUSO for festival booths, as well as grants from the city and the Christenson Foundation.

“KUSO’s budget is about $30,000 to $35,000 for the festival,” Ruttan said. “The insurance alone is $4,000 because you can’t buy it for just one day. You have to pay for a whole year. And having fireworks is what makes it so expensive,” he said.

KUSO is a partnership of the City of Kent, Kent Area Chamber of Commerce, Kent Licensed Beverage Association, Kent Jaycees, Kent Lions, Kent Junior Mothers, Kent Kiwanis, Kent Rotary, Knights of Columbus and Main Street Kent.