April 6, 2007
Frontiersman
HOUSTON - We all know the words and music to the spiritual rock song, “Spirit in the Sky,� and with that tune in mind, employees and friends of the late, pyrotechnician Jerry Mignano will celebrate him with a memorial fireworks show on Saturday.
Called “Jerry's Spirit's in the Sky 1963-2007,� the display will be fantastic, said friend and employee Sam Amato.
“I don't know if you've ever been to the state fair fireworks, but it's going to be bigger than that,� Amato said Monday.
Feb. 24, Mignano died of a brain aneurysm while on his way back from the 2007 Western Winter Blast Pyrotechnic Convention in Lake Havasu, Ariz. The display has been in the planning stage since then to make it the best and worthy of what many considered to be a master pyrotechnician.
Mignano absolutely loved his work, Amato said.
“He started messing with fireworks when he was a 15-year-old kid in New Jersey,� Amato said. “Stuff that's illegal there is legal here, and so he came to Alaska. He was so very knowledgeable, he knew what people were shooting off.�
Amato said they want as many people to come to the display as possible, and fliers are up “all over town,� he said.
Multimedia performances start at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. on Saturday at the Houston Fire Station, Mile 57.2 on the Parks Highway. Fireworks will begin at 10 p.m., but Amato recommends people hang around after the grand finale. It's not going to be the final display, because afterward the employees have a display planned that has fireworks “nobody ever sees,� he said.
“That'll be the really cool one,� Amato said.
For more information, go to www.jerrysfireworks.com.
Contact Dimitra Lavrakas at 352-2269 or valleylife@frontiersman.com
Frontiersman
HOUSTON - We all know the words and music to the spiritual rock song, “Spirit in the Sky,� and with that tune in mind, employees and friends of the late, pyrotechnician Jerry Mignano will celebrate him with a memorial fireworks show on Saturday.
Called “Jerry's Spirit's in the Sky 1963-2007,� the display will be fantastic, said friend and employee Sam Amato.
“I don't know if you've ever been to the state fair fireworks, but it's going to be bigger than that,� Amato said Monday.
Feb. 24, Mignano died of a brain aneurysm while on his way back from the 2007 Western Winter Blast Pyrotechnic Convention in Lake Havasu, Ariz. The display has been in the planning stage since then to make it the best and worthy of what many considered to be a master pyrotechnician.
Mignano absolutely loved his work, Amato said.
“He started messing with fireworks when he was a 15-year-old kid in New Jersey,� Amato said. “Stuff that's illegal there is legal here, and so he came to Alaska. He was so very knowledgeable, he knew what people were shooting off.�
Amato said they want as many people to come to the display as possible, and fliers are up “all over town,� he said.
Multimedia performances start at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. on Saturday at the Houston Fire Station, Mile 57.2 on the Parks Highway. Fireworks will begin at 10 p.m., but Amato recommends people hang around after the grand finale. It's not going to be the final display, because afterward the employees have a display planned that has fireworks “nobody ever sees,� he said.
“That'll be the really cool one,� Amato said.
For more information, go to www.jerrysfireworks.com.
Contact Dimitra Lavrakas at 352-2269 or valleylife@frontiersman.com
