Fireworks return to festival

By J.R. Williams - jrwilliams@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- Fireworks will return to this year's Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival under an agreement reached Monday with the city School Board.

The fireworks show was canceled last year during a multimillion-dollar renovation to the Handley Bowl, the traditional site of the show. Since then, concerns were raised about the impact stray cinders would have on the new track and football field, which is made of artificial turf.

A solution reached after lengthy discussions between the school and festival officials keeps the show at Handley, but with less powerful firepower.

According to a letter to the School Board from Kevin McKew, executive director of operational services for the school system, "the festival and the fireworks company have agreed to significant concessions in terms of the firing location and the size of the mortars which would allow the displays to proceed in a manner which would not jeopardize the new track and field."

John Rosenberger, executive director of the festival, said relocating the show would have been unacceptable.

"It's so important for us to have it at Handley, we're willing to do whatever we have to do to tailor the show to do it there," he told School Board members. "We would rather do that than have six-inch shells at the Frederick County Fairgrounds.

"We would like to bring the show back up there. It just works. ... It's sort of our kids' night, and it's very important to us."

In the past, the show has used mortars up to 4 inches in diameter that can climb to 300 feet. Under the new proposal, only 1- and 2-inch mortars -- reaching a maximum of 200 feet -- are planned.

Maryland-based Fireworks Productions Incorporated will fire the new mortars about 600 feet east of the football field, according to the proposal. Previously, ground zero was 450 feet east of the field.

"There's virtually no way any embers could reach the field," McKew said.

School Board members unanimously approved the request. Barry W. Deuel, who represents Ward 1, called it an "awfully good compromise."

"It was awfully quiet and awfully dark up there last year," Rosenberger said.

In other business of the Winchester School Board, Superintendent Ricky L. Leonard updated members on the proposed fiscal 2011 budget.

Like school systems statewide, Winchester is waiting on updated budget information from Richmond as legislators work through competing versions of the commonwealth's budget from the House of Delegates and state Senate.

With decreased federal, state and local revenue, Leonard has proposed reductions to programs and services to help bridge the gap. In addition, a current proposal uses $205,642 in carried forward federal stimulus dollars to balance the budget.

"The caution to that: It is one-time money," he said. "It puts you into a deeper hole for next year because that money is not there. ... However, it is my belief and the belief of our staff that we would rather have 12 months to try to find in this case $205,642 over the course of that year than to say, 'We'll just reduce something else.'"