Mokena Fireworks Decision Made By Pyrotechnic Specialist: Village

MOKENA, IL - While neighboring towns decided to postpone 4th of July fireworks displays due to a string of pop up thunderstorms that struck Chicago's south suburbs just before dusk on the holiday, the display in Mokena went on. But not exactly as scheduled.

Those who gathered in Mokena Main Park to view the display reported it having gone on in the midst of a severe storm and lasting just a few minutes. Mokena village officials on Thursday said they were in the process of confirming and coordinating details about the possibility of rescheduling the show for Thursday or Friday, which the company responsible for putting on the the show indicated would be possible.

But while those details were ironed out, the fireworks company's pyrotechnic specialist made the decision to discharge the fireworks around 8:55 p.m., just minutes before the show was originally scheduled to start.

"This discretionary decision was predicated on significant safety risks associated with instability and volatility of the fireworks mortars and supporting structures inundated by heavy amounts of standing water," the village wrote in a statement, noting that weather conditions at the fireworks launch site were "deteriorating" at the time.

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Residents estimated the fireworks display lasted about four or five minutes. It came after the village and Mokena Park District decided to cancel the Encore Community Band concert due to the weather.

After the band concert was canceled, officials said radar images showed a narrow window for when the fireworks could possibly go off without a storm, but that window closed around 8:30 p.m. when a severe storm rolled through the area.

Talks have begun between the Village, Park District and the fireworks contractor on arranging a date for another show later in the year that will be similar in size and duration to the one originally scheduled on the Fourth.

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