By Myra Miller
Lifestyle Editor
Kenneth Peart is preparing for The Fourth of July holiday. He has two volunteer helper, his grandsons Carter Cashen and Nick Bertrand, at his business helping with everything needed for the big day.
The Fourth of July is fast approaching, and Peart is ready with more than 3,000 rockets to be fired on the holiday.
The Fourth of July fireworks display is scheduled at 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Eunice Recreation Complex on Sittig Road.
Peart, owner of Peart Enterprises, and a former mayor of Eunice, has planned Eunice’s Fourth of July fireworks display for many years.
Peart starts the planning process, ordering of fireworks, and storing all fireworks at a federally licensed storehouse months in advance of the holiday.
“I gradually start planning in preparation for the big event. This process takes time,” said Peart.
Peart has a supplier in Missouri and makes the huge order months in advance, usually in March of each year.
Peart took over the fireworks show after the Eunice Chamber of Commerce stopped in 1981.
“I’ve made so many friends in the fireworks business throughout the past years, so they help the city out in the cost. A display like this at full price would cost $40,000 to $50,000. The city gets it for about a third of that,” said Peart.
Peart said, with enthusiasm, “This year will be the best, of course, I say this every year!” This year’s display is made up of over 3,000 shots of five different sizes, ranging from baseball to watermelon in size.
The fireworks are launched a minimum of 800 feet away from the public’s watching eye.
The shots are dropped into cardboard tubes, donated by The Eunice News and The Advertiser in Lafayette, and the tubes are placed on several flatbed trailers. On the Fourth of July, the shots are lit with road flares secured to tomato stakes. This year, Peart said, “We will be shooting from big trailers and small trailers,” added Peart.
The entire fireworks show, from beginning to the grand finale, last 20 to 30 minutes.
To see the spectacular fireworks show, Peart said, “There is no better place or view of the show than right at the Eunice Recreation Complex.”