Fireworks by Grucci
Encyclopedia
Fireworks by Grucci is a fireworks
company headquartered in Brookhaven
on New York
's Long Island
. It has been a family run business since 1850. The company's main fireworks
office & operations are in Brookhaven, NY with a manufacturing and government work factory in Radford, Virginia
.
According to the American Pyrotechnics Association
, an industry trade group, Fireworks by Grucci is "one of the nation's premier pyrotechnics firms."
Grucci Sr. continued to develop the company with such innovations as the stringless shell, which improved fireworks safety by eliminating burning fallout
. The company also developed mock atomic bomb tests for the Department of Defense
. The Grucci family received accolades for its performance on the Charles River
during the 1976 bicentennial
celebration, its first major performance out of the New York
tri-state area.
In 1979, the Gruccis became the first American family to win the Gold Medal for the United States at the annual Monte Carlo
International Fireworks Competition, an event revered by the fireworks industry as the most prestigious competition in the world. This also earned the family their nickname, "America's First Family of Fireworks," from the New York press.
In 1983, disaster struck the company when an explosion at the company's factory in Bellport, New York
killed two family members and heavily damaged dozens of nearby homes. As a result, the company moved its operations from Bellport to Yaphank, New York
, a more secluded area.
s to electronically fire the shells. It has also switched from using the traditionally used cardboard gun barrels to Plexiglas, which is better able to absorb a misfire.
and international events, including:
The company has also done displays in Florida
and Hawaii
.
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
company headquartered in Brookhaven
Brookhaven, New York
The Town of Brookhaven is one of the ten towns into which Suffolk County, New York, United States, has been divided. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is located in central Suffolk County and is the only town in the county that stretches from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long...
on New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. It has been a family run business since 1850. The company's main fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
office & operations are in Brookhaven, NY with a manufacturing and government work factory in Radford, Virginia
Radford, Virginia
Radford is a city in Virginia, United States. The population was 16,408 in 2010. For statistical purposes, the Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Radford with neighboring Montgomery County, including the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, calling the combination the...
.
According to the American Pyrotechnics Association
American Pyrotechnics Association
The American Pyrotechnics Association is an advocacy group that aims to get consumer fireworks legalized across the United States and educate citizens on the safe use of fireworks....
, an industry trade group, Fireworks by Grucci is "one of the nation's premier pyrotechnics firms."
History
The company traces its pyrotechnic roots to Bari, Italy, where Angelo Lanzetta reportedly was an apprentice to an Italian fireworks family. Lanzetta was the great-great-grandfather of Felix Grucci Sr., after which the company was named.Grucci Sr. continued to develop the company with such innovations as the stringless shell, which improved fireworks safety by eliminating burning fallout
Fallout
Fallout or nuclear fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a nuclear explosion.Fallout may also refer to:*Fallout , a 1997 post-apocalyptic computer role-playing game released by Interplay Entertainment...
. The company also developed mock atomic bomb tests for the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
. The Grucci family received accolades for its performance on the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
during the 1976 bicentennial
United States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
celebration, its first major performance out of the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
tri-state area.
In 1979, the Gruccis became the first American family to win the Gold Medal for the United States at the annual Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
International Fireworks Competition, an event revered by the fireworks industry as the most prestigious competition in the world. This also earned the family their nickname, "America's First Family of Fireworks," from the New York press.
In 1983, disaster struck the company when an explosion at the company's factory in Bellport, New York
Bellport, New York
Bellport is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 2,363 at the 2000 census. The village is named after the Bell family, early settlers of the area. The public education system in Bellport makes up the South Country Central School District consisting of six...
killed two family members and heavily damaged dozens of nearby homes. As a result, the company moved its operations from Bellport to Yaphank, New York
Yaphank, New York
Yaphank is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 5,025 at the 2000 census.Yaphank is a community in the south part of the Town of Brookhaven...
, a more secluded area.
Facility
Grucci's Brookhaven facility is set in a tightly controlled enclosure. Safety is kept at a premium by using caution signs, eight-foot-high barbed wire fencing, and huge sand-and-gravel barriers. In addition, copper plates are placed on the outside of the assembly buildings to discharge static, while no more than four workers are allowed at a time in any one building.Use of technology
Fireworks by Grucci has adapted the use of technology, including the use of computerComputer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s to electronically fire the shells. It has also switched from using the traditionally used cardboard gun barrels to Plexiglas, which is better able to absorb a misfire.
Noteworthy Displays
Fireworks by Grucci has produced fireworks displays for various United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and international events, including:
- Seven consecutive U.S. Presidential inaugurations beginning with Ronald Reagan;
- Statue of Liberty Centennial (1986);
- Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in Lake PlacidLake Placid, New YorkLake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and Salt Lake City; - World's FairWorld's FairWorld's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
s in Knoxville, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, New Orleans, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Taejon, KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
The company has also done displays in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.