Big changes for the Big Kaboom
Chelsea’s Independence Day celebration is growing this year.
After several years of the Big Kaboom in the Chelsea Park neighborhood, the festivities are moving closer to the downtown area.
For Chelsea City Fest 2017, the Big Kaboom is July 1 in the large grassy area behind the Dairy Queen on County 47.
Mayor Tony Picklesimer said that as the festival has grown each year, it has not onlyoutgrown Chelsea Park, but it also has become a safety concern due to the location of the water tower where the fireworks are shot.
“People stop all along Highway 280 to watch the fireworks. When it is over, traffic is an absolute nightmare, and it’s also very dangerous,” he said.
His initial idea was to leave it on July 3, but decided that since the location was moving and the event was evolving, it needed tobe Saturday.
With the new format this year, Picklesimer said “it gives an opportunity for more than just a fireworks show. We can showcase downtown businesses and have a lot larger area to create more room for people to spread out and enjoy it more. We are also able to offer different things rather than justthe fireworks.”
Gerri Roberts, GIS coordinator at Chelsea City Hall, has spearheaded this project and has assigned different members of the City Council and the community to organize different aspects of the festival. She said it takes a lot of work to put an event of this size together, but she said it will be worth it.
“People from all over come to this event, and we are glad to have people from other communities attend,” Roberts said.
City Councilman Casey Morris is heading up food vendors and sponsorships. His goal is to have 10 food trucks with a variety of styles. Those already confirmed include Good Ole Boys BBQ, Wicked Haute Dogs, Holy Cow Ice Cream, Ground Up Coffee & Smoothies and Chelsea Coffee House. He said he hopes to add several more before the event, including a taco truck and pizza truck.
The food trucks will be lined up and ready to serve when the event begins at 5 p.m.
“We are hoping with us bringing the event to our commercial district, that people will shop and eat at the brick-and-mortar stores as well,” Morris said. “Chelsea Coffee House is a vendor, but their store location will also be open and has one of better views for fireworks. Pita Hut and Johnny Ray’s will also have open seating for guests to be able to eat andwatch fireworks.”
Morris said since this is the first year expanding outside of Chelsea Park, there is a lot to learn, but he said he knows it will be a great event, and the food vendors, arts and crafts vendors and local restaurantswill benefit.
Tables and chairs will be set up near the food trucks, but guests also are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. Arts and craftvendors will be selling merchandise.
For children, there will be a Red, White and Blue Bicycle Parade at 6 p.m. Participants can bring their decorated bikes, along with wagons for the younger ones. It will begin at Chelsea Corners Way and end at Hartley’s Restaurant. Liberty Baptist Church is sponsoring a kid’s zone with activities, face painting and inflatables. The Chelsea Fire Department will display some of its equipment.
Chelsea City Councilwoman Tiffany Bittner is handling publicity for the event. She said she is thrilled to have the opportunity to make the event even better for Chelsea.
“I'm anticipating it being an incredible family friendly event that will make our community proud,” she said. "I will be working hard to get the word out by contacting local radio and television stations to promote it, sharing its new location and what peoplecan expect.”
The larger event also will bring more cars. There will be about 900 parking places near the event. Councilman Cody Sumners is coordinating with Chelsea’s COP volunteers and traffic patrol. He will be working with the sheriff’s office, which will be directing traffic and blocking roads. Road closures will include County Road 47 at Chesser Crane Road and from Old U.S. 280 to Express Oil, also at ChelseaCorners Way.
At 6:30 p.m., the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts will have a flag retirement ceremony and give grommets off the flags to localveterans. Local talent will then take the stage before the headlining band’s performance. Compozitionz, a Motown band out of Mississippi reminiscent of The Temptations, will play their first set at 8 p.m. After a break for the fireworks, the band will perform a second set from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m. Picklesimer says this should help stagger the traffic, as some people will leave immediately after the fireworks, and others will stay for the rest of theband’s performance.
Local radio station KOOL 96.9 FM will take part in the event for the second year in a row. They will set up at the event playing music and going live several times during the event. Owner David Brady said they will be heavily promoting this event on their station, and they are happy to serve the community in anyway possible.
“We are also partnering with Pyro Productions to synchronize the music with the fireworks. They are going to develop music to go along with them, and we will be playing it on our station,” Brady said. “Even if you can’t come to the festival, if you’re a mile away, you’ll still be able to see the fireworks and listen to the music synced on theradio station.”
The fireworks show is at 9 p.m., and it will last 20 to 30 minutes. They will be shot from a new location behind Chelsea Fire Station. Pyro Productions will be in charge, the same company that produces Thunder on the Mountainin downtown Birmingham.
In the past, attendance has been estimated at about 3,000. Picklesimer said he thinks this year it may double.
“We want it to be big and successful,” he said. “It’s very expensive, but it’s a way we can give back to our city, and it catches us up. Pelham, Alabaster and Columbiana all have a city fest of some kind. All we’ve had is a Christmas parade, so now we can have a summer event as well. It just really has a chance to be something special, something that the city has never had.”
To stay up to date on the event, checkfacebook.com/ChelseaCityHall.