Crews were out at the Empire State Plaza in Albany Monday morning preparing for the Fourth of July celebration.
"We're putting the float together. We got 14 floats, everyone wanted a water be part of the show. And so each one is has to be hooked up together. We'll put it in the water. We'll load it up and then we'll put it in the middle of the reflecting pool tomorrow. Once it's ready to go, we have modules that we put out there, we'll arm them up so you don't have to go back out in there and they'll be ready to go whenever we say go," said John Flanagan with Santore's World Famous Fireworks. Flanagan says the 31-minute show is the biggest of the 350 pyrotechnics displays the company puts on every year.
"Big shows like this are all electrical, electrical shows and it's wireless. And you get to program your command center to fire the show, just press a button and it takes over. Back then it was running around with flares. Some of the old timers used to use cigars to light 'em, so it’s come along way," Flanagan said.
Spokesperson Mona Golub says Price Chopper/Maket 32 has sponsored the event since its inception.
"We're here for a purpose. We're here to celebrate our freedoms. And we're here to salute veterans and active military duty. And it's really important that we come together to be able to do that as well. So we have Price Chopper, who established this event back in 1976, as part of our bicentennial, are thrilled to be back once again," Golub said.
New York State Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy says thousands are expected to attend the free celebration.
"There's going to be a naturalization ceremony. What better way to honor the founding of our nation," said Moy. "We've got fireworks, and we've got a great show by Sheila E, the drummer, percussionist. And you're also gonna have an opportunity to get a little bit of food, they're going to be some food trucks are available, there's gonna be some family entertainment. So lots of ways to really enjoy yourselves outdoors. And we're really looking forward to it. There is gonna be free parking. So certainly come on in. park your cars down and one of the P lots underneath the parking garage."
Moy says the naturalization ceremony will be at 5 p.m. and showtime leading up to the fireworks is 7 p.m. A rain date is Wednesday.
"If it does turn out that there is going to be rain, which obviously we're monitoring hour by hour. I'm hoping that it happens tomorrow. Crossing fingers and toes, then we're going to postpone the firework show. It'll happen at the exact same time on July 5th, 9 p.m. So you can definitely come and watch. I suggest you bring yourself a nice little, you know, picnic basket and sit out with your family, you can watch a really great show. Still the great same backdrop, just a little bit less of the production as if it happened July 4th," Moy said.
