Independence Day will blast off with the return of Hilo Bay Blast on Wednesday.
A fireworks display over Hilo Bay, set to start at 8 p.m., is the luminescent cap on an activity-filled Fourth of July.
Donald Pascual, an operator with Hawaii Explosives &Pyrotechnics, the company putting on the Blast, said the show will be about 10 minutes long and will be similar to last year’s.
“It’s just going to be a spectacular fireworks display in Hilo,” he said.
Bert Mukai, culture and education administrator for the Hawaii County Parks and Recreation Department, said the fireworks will be fired off a barge in the bay.
Hilo Bay Blast is a good day for families to get together, he said.
Parks and Recreation tries to provide “activities and events that normally won’t be available to our community without our participation and our sponsors,” Mukai said.
The county is partnering with Destination Hilo, the Hawaii County Fair Foundation, Grand Naniloa Hotel, Hawaii Explosives &Pyrotechnics and the state to present Hilo Bay Blast.
“We are so happy that we’ve had members of the public and private enterprises like the Hawaii County Fair Foundation and Grand Naniloa Hotel step up to the plate to help fund the fireworks exhibition this year,” said Parks and Recrecation Director Roxcie Waltjen.
According to Waltjen, there were some worries about whether the county would have enough money to fund the show this year “due to budget constraints and things like that.”
“We believe this island has been through a trying few months,” she said. It will “be really nice to have a celebration to keep everyone in good spirits.”
Festivities begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday with the Salute to Our Veterans Hilo Bay 5K Run/Walk sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3830 at Lili‘uokalani Gardens.
Registration is $25 and prizes will be awarded in various categories.
For more information or to register, visit asalutetoourveterans.org or contact Mike or Pat Sauer at 965-0565 or webmaster@asalutetoourveterans.org.
The day continues with the Hot Rides Expo from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., featuring hundreds of vintage, classic and futuristic cars at the mauka soccer fields on Kamehameha Avenue.
Part of the Hawaii Classic Cruizer’s triennial Cruize Paradise 11-day car cruise, car enthusiasts from the Big Island and beyond will ship their classic and vintage vehicles to Hilo to participate in the expo, which is free and open to the public.
Anyone interested in participating should contact Francis Rodillas at 896-3467 or francishrodillas@gmail.com.
Ol’ School Band, Randy Lorenzo &Friends, Patio Productions and Wendell &the Ings will take the stage from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the expo.
Keiki activities, including water slides, bouncers and the “Wicked Bowls” wagon, will be available at the soccer fields on Kamehameha Avenue, while “the Isles,” located across from Lili‘uokalani Gardens, will be the kupuna viewing station.
The Elderly Activities Division will offer shuttles from the Kamana Senior Center from 5-7 p.m. and a return shuttle from 8:30-9 p.m. Individuals older than 55 should contact Elderly Recreation Services at 961-8710 for more information.
The Hawaii County Band’s Fourth of July concert starts at 7 p.m. at the Mooheau Park bandstand.
Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Road closures and restrictions
According to information provided by the Hawaii County Parks and Recreation Department:
• Highway 19 and Bayfront Highway will be closed from Waianuenue Avenue to the Wailoa River from 6-10 p.m. Wednesday.
• Gates will be located at Mooheau bus terminal, Mooheau Park ball field and adjacent soccer field.
• Lihiwai Street from “the Isles” to Banyan Drive will close at noon Tuesday and reopen at 10 a.m. Thursday, and Piopio Street will have restricted access from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday.
• Kumu Street also will be closed for the Big Island Cruize Paradise 2018 car show.
• Personal fireworks and smoking are prohibited at all beach parks.
• The Wailoa small boat harbor basin parking area at the mouth of the Wailoa River will be closed to unauthorized vehicles, but the restroom in that closed area will be open for public use.
• Access under the Wailoa Bridge via the catwalk will be closed.
• No open fires are allowed in the small boat harbor and mooring areas. Fireworks and alcohol are not permitted in the small boat harbor and Wailoa State Park.
• Drones are not permitted within 5 miles of Hilo International Airport.
• There also will be a 100-yard safety zone around the fireworks barge.
Fireworks reminders
For residents, firecracker permits will be issued until 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Permits can be purchased at:
• 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, except Wednesday until 7 p.m., Hilo Phantom Fireworks tents at the Prince Kuhio Plaza and Walmart parking lots.
• 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, except Wednesday until 7 p.m., Phantom Fireworks tent in the Kona Commons shopping center parking lot.
• 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Hilo Fire Administration Office, County Building, 25 Aupuni St.
• 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Kona Fire Administration Office, West Hawaii Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building E, second floor.
Permits, issued to people 18 and older, are $25 and allow for the purchase of up to 5,000 individual firecrackers. Permits are nontransferable and nonrefundable, but are not required for novelties and paperless firecrackers.
Permitted firecrackers and consumer fireworks are only allowed to be set off between 1 and 9 p.m. Wednesday.
It is also unlawful to buy, sell, possess or set off aerial luminary devices such as sky lanterns. Contact the Hawaii Fire Department at 932-2911 to dispose of any such devices with amnesty.
According to the Fire Department, it is illegal to bring any type of fireworks into the state without a valid fireworks import license issued by the department.
In a news release earlier this month, the Fire Department said recent online ads selling fireworks and sparklers are in violation of state statutes and Hawaii County code. Penalties can range from misdemeanor to felony charges and also can include fines of up to $2,000 per violation.
According to the Fire Department, it’s also illegal to remove the powder from any firework, to throw fireworks from a vehicle and to set off fireworks outside of the designated time period, within 1,000 feet of a hospital, nursing home, home for the elderly or animal hospital, on school property, public streets, in parks or within 1,000 feet of a church during service times. It’s also illegal to sell or give fireworks to minors and for minors to have or use fireworks except under immediate adult supervision.
The Fire Department will collect fireworks that are damaged, unused or unwanted after Wednesday. To schedule a pickup or for more information, call the Fire Department Prevention Bureau at 932-2911 or 323-4760.