GOAT ISLAND—There are few things more synonymous with Haweater Weekend than the Sunday night fireworks display, ‘Thunder Over the Channel,’ and there’s a lot that goes into them.
The Expositor caught up with Geoff Worthington, general manager of Capital Pyrotechnics. Geoff has been the mastermind behind the Haweater Weekend fireworks for the past 10 years and he learned from the best—his predecessor was the chief Haw pyrotechnic for decades before that.
“It’s nice that the Haweater fireworks are so widely and well-received,” Geoff said modestly when reached at his southern Ontario home. “Goat Island is an ideal spot,” he shared, thanking the municipality and the firefighters for all their work in helping to make the setup a success year after year. “Seeing the whole shore fill up with people and the big party boats coming up the channel, I always love going to Little Current. It’s certainly one of our biggest displays.”
Geoff admits to having a lot of pressure when it comes to having to top themselves year after year. “Haw is nice,” he says. “It’s very generous so that gives us a lot of fireworks to work with.”
He says that Haweater’s claim to fame is “fast and furious,” which he says make for the best displays. Some clients want their displays long and drawn out, but with that comes people glancing at their phones and wondering “how much longer?”
Not so with Haweater. “It’s fast, intense—everyone stops and is in awe.”
Geoff says Haweater gives his company the flexibility to get different kinds of fireworks from their many suppliers.
When it comes to planning the display, Geoff says he starts designing the next year’s display almost immediately following the grand finale, which is always the most important part of the show. “You want to finish with an exclamation point.”
Fireworks displays are made up of two key elements: shells (the ones that look like puffballs or dandelions and can get 1,000 feet high) and kegs (a series of fuses lit together that can cover a range of space). Combined, these make a tableau.
When it comes to individual bursts, Geoff says there are well over one-thousand in Haweater’s 15- to 20-minute display. “We bring a lot of firepower.”
The Goat Island setup starts in the morning, takes five or six people and lasts approximately 10 hours for a show that may be 20 minutes long. The fireworks are installed into mortars which are then wired into a firing panel.
“It’s certainly one of our biggest shows of the year and it’s always been one of my favourite times of the year—it’s a beautiful area,” Geoff says. “I love hearing the crowd cheering and carrying on, it makes it all worthwhile.”
The Lions’ Thunder Over the Channel fireworks display takes place over the North Channel in downtown Little Current on Sunday, August 4 at dusk.
