KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Many people are finding different ways to celebrate the 4th of July, most will find themselves with friends and family watching large firework shows, but those shows take months of preparation.
Johnny Deal is the Treasure of the Lake Wateree Association and says they started preparing early this year. "We always start in January," he says.
After months of logistical preparation, his team of pyrotechnicians has to set up the final stages of the show.
William Deek is the lead technician for the event and says, "we'll be anywhere from a six to eight hour set up."
It's a setup that includes a couple of thousands of fireworks that are first delivered by truck then unloaded onto a boat and then sent out across the water to an island.
Deek adds, "On the island out there, our equipment and hardware racks are already in place, so now we will take the shells there, load all the individual shells into the racks, it's an electronic show, so we have an electronic match and electric fuses that we hook up to everything then we have firing panels that we wire everything up too and once everything's set and ready then we set and flip the switches and set the show-off."
An event that will reach hundreds of people on their boats. Deal says it's an event unlike any other, "There always hundreds of boats in all directions so it's always really fun."
The event took place at sunset on Lake Wateree.