News File Photo Fireworks explode above Fourth of July celebrants at Starlite Beach in Alpena in this July 2021 News archive photo.

ALPENA — The Fourth of July fireworks display in Alpena will again launch on the day before the holiday.

Last summer, Wolverine Fireworks, the Kawkawlin-based vendor Alpena had hired for its July 4 fireworks show, notified the city only a couple weeks before Independence Day that the vendor needed to cancel its July 4 date, sending the city scrambling to move forward with the show.

The city managed to pull the fireworks show together for July 3 on short notice and the show went off without a hitch.

That made the decision to have fireworks on July 3, 2025 easier.

Alpena put the fireworks job out for bid and the city received several bids for next year’s display.

None of the bidders had July 4 available, so the Alpena Municipal Council decided to hire Small Town Saturday Night Fireworks, of Sheridan, for $25,000 to launch the fireworks on July 3 once again.

Small Town conducted the fireworks show at the end of the Alpena County Fair’s 150th anniversary celebration earlier this year.

The vendor will up its game for the Fourth next year and provide a larger and more elaborate display for the viewers in Alpena, officials said.

Andy Marceau, Alpena Fire Department captain, said he saw the show at the fairgrounds in August and was impressed at Small Town’s professionalism, safety measures, and display.

He said he is excited to see a larger show in July.

“I was really impressed with the company, so it was kind of a no-brainer to reach out to them and ask for a proposal,” Marceau said.

For years, the fireworks have been launched at Mich-e-ke-wis Park, but that will change in 2025. Marceau said the new fireworks contractor will launch the fireworks from five strategically placed pontoons, which allows the vendor to be more creative in the fireworks display. Having the fireworks launched from the water, off of Bay View Park, will allow better viewing up and down the coastline.

The decision to fire off the fireworks from Thunder Bay also reduces the chances onlookers getting hurt.

Marceau said that, if there was an unexpected accident, the public will be a safe distance away.

“The perimeter is easy to set for us, because it is out in the bay,” he said. “Heaven forbid, if anything happens, it is isolated from the crowds of people.”

Rain and wind always put the fireworks at risk of postponement or rescheduling, but setting them off from boats means waves could throw a monkey wrench into the show if conditions aren’t favorable.

Marceau said the city has booked a tentative date of July 12 for the show should Mother Nature not cooperate on July 3.

When city officials announced the change in schedule for the fireworks show last year, it was met with mixed reaction. Some people liked the move because it allowed them to stay up later at night because they were off of work on the actual holiday. Others believed the tradition of having the fireworks on Independence Day should be preserved.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.