Many praised the Parks Department for being able to clean up the tornado damage in time for the holiday celebration.
Fourth of July fireworks explode over the Memorial Bridge with the City of Springfield in the background. With the June 1 tornado a clear view was seen from Maple Street with all the trees knocked down or damaged.
SPRINGFIELD – Ezequiel Santiago snagged a perfect spot to watch the July Fourth fireworks - right next to the sign near the entrance of Riverfront Park that said “Rebuilding Springfield.”
A lifelong city resident, Santiago said he watches the Springfield fireworks – the largest in Western Massachusetts – every year and was delighted to hear the celebration would go on, despite the June 1 tornado that traveled 39 miles through a half-dozen Western Massachusetts communities and caused severe damage in the city.
“With all the people and all the fireworks I feel like an American. It gives you a great feeling,” he said
The evidence of the tornado was clear in the park where trees had been uprooted or otherwise damaged, but the city determined the Independence Day celebration should happen.
“It is July Fourth. I feel sad for the people but everything must go on, you can’t mourn every day,” Santiago said.
Springfield kicked off the July Fourth celebration Monday with a concert by the Dan Kane Singers at Riverfront Park. Playing the keyboards is Dan Kane and on the guitar is Bob Ferrier of Westfield.Sponsors had already donated money and the Dan Kane Singers and its 150-children Dan Kane Rising Stars chorus was booked so the July Fourth celebration was expected to happen. The question was where since its Riverfront Park had been heavily damaged, said Judith A. Matt, president of the Spirit of Springfield, which organizes the event.
She said the Parks Department did an amazing job repairing fencing and cleaning up fallen trees in time.
“It is great. We are experiencing one of the biggest crowds we have seen in a while,” she said.
An estimated 100,000 people were expected to watch the fireworks from spots throughout the city, Matt said.
Before the event started, John Doty, of Springfield, stopped Matt and thanked her for the work she did to bring the event to the city this year.
“I had taken a ride down the Riverfront area and it was in terrible shape after the terrible tornado,” Doty said. “It was an insurmountable task for her and the Parks Department to pull this off.”
Memorial Bridge was closed and prior to the start, police directed traffic from the vicinity of the fireworks by closing East and West Columbus Avenues to through traffic. No major problems were reported.
Pearl DeFilio and her sister Carol Fontaine, both of Springfield, decided at the last minute to go to Riverfront Park to watch the event. Fontaine said she usually watches them from her home but thought it would be fun when her sister asked her to come.
“At first I was going to go to sit at Maple Hill to watch them,” DeFilio said, pointing out that tornado knocked down so many trees in the area it would have given an unobstructed view of the riverfront for the first time.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said he loved the children’s chorus and was delighted to see the large but peaceful crowds at the event.
“We need this more than ever,” he said. “It just shows the resilience and the spirit of Springfield.”