COMMUNITY

Three nights of fireworks planned for Fourth of July holiday

Displays in Farmington and Bloomfield start Monday evening and run through Wednesday night

Joshua Kellogg
Farmington Daily Times
  • There will be a fireworks display in Farmington on Monday and Tuesday night.
  • The city of Bloomfield's fireworks show is Wednesday evening.
  • Tommy Bolack is taking extra care to reduce the possibility of a fire from his fireworks display.
The annual Fourth of July fireworks display in Farmington takes place July 3, 2012. This year's display in Farmington will be held on Monday.

 

FARMINGTON — Area residents can expect three straight nights of fireworks displays during the Fourth of July holiday.

The cities of Bloomfield and Farmington, along with local resident Tommy Bolack, will have fireworks shows scheduled for Monday through Wednesday nights.

On Monday, the city of Farmington is planning its fireworks display at approximately 9:25 p.m., according to Tonya Stinson, executive director of the Farmington Convention & Visitors Bureau. The organization organizes the Freedom Days celebration. 

Stinson said there are a lot of good spots in Farmington to watch the fireworks since the launch location was moved to Sullivan Hill several years ago.

She suggested watching the fireworks, which are expected to last about 20 minutes, from San Juan College or the Farmington Museum at Gateway Park.

Describing himself as a "thump junky," Bolack said he is eager for this year's fireworks display during the evening of the Fourth of July.

"It's kind of an adrenaline high for me," Bolack said about launching the fireworks.

Spectators watch the annual Fourth of July Farmington fireworks display on July 3, 2015, at a parking lot at San Juan College in Farmington.

 

He plans to spend the entire day on Tuesday tying together the dynamite fuses for what he believes will be a 30- to 35-minute show that is projected to start around 9:30 p.m. 

Extra care was taken by Bolack to clear cheatgrass and cotton from cottonwood trees from his property south of Farmington before the fireworks display. 

While the area where he launches the fireworks is almost barren, Bolack said the property is a "tinderbox" where a possible brush fire could be started easily.

The city of Bloomfield is looking forward to hosting its fireworks display Wednesday evening, Mayor Scott Eckstein said.

He said the fireworks display should start around 9:15 p.m., and he recommended people watch the show from the city's soccer fields. The show is expected to last about 25 to 30 minutes.

A cluster of fireworks bursts in the sky July 3, 2015, during the annual Fourth of July Farmington fireworks show.

 

The fields open up to vendors at 5 p.m. with several booths offering food, including ice cream and snow cones. 

The band Flatwater is scheduled to perform, and Eckstein said there a possibility of a DJ spinning discs in another part of the fields. 

Joshua Kellogg covers crime, courts and social issues for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627.