PEORIA, Ill. – If you thought things seemed a little different at Monday night’s “Red White and Boom” fireworks show in Peoria, you might be right.
Fireworks debris caused some problems on the Peoria side of the Illinois River, with 25 News reporting at least one person being treated on scene for minor injuries.
“They were fighting wind coming from the east…that’s atypical, because normally it comes from the west,” said Mike Wild, WMBD/Midwest Communications Vice President/General Manager. “You see a lot of the fallout from the fireworks normally happen in East Peoria. [Monday] night, that happened on the Peoria side. It also brought the fireworks up over the riverfront.”
Another possible issue: the tugboat operator pulling the fireworks barges was doing so for the first time.
“They do hold pretty steady, but there are times where wind and river current are factors,” said Coast Guard officer John Kilkenny said to 25 News. “I am not going to get up there and do it tomorrow. I can’t do it. I respect the mariners that can. It’s very hard.”
Nevertheless, several hundred thousand people lined the Illinois Riverfronts for the first Red White and Boom show in three years. And, Wild says he’s pleased overall with how the show went — especially the honoring of first responders and others — and he’d like to improve some thematic elements next year.
