Zambelli Fireworks Facing Challenges As Coronavirus Restrictions Force Cancellations Of Fourth Of July Celebrations
LAWRENCE COUNTY (KDKA) -- In the past four days, reality sunk in.
Canonsburg's Fourth of July celebrations — complete with its chair reservation system for the parade — were scrubbed over the weekend, along with its fireworks celebration.
That news came shortly after the city of Pittsburgh said on Friday that it will not have fireworks on the Fourth this year. Those events would typically have hundreds of thousands in attendance.
Zambelli Fireworks is the company that designs and produces the pyrotechnics for the city of Pittsburgh.
Obviously, it is one company feeling the pinch from the cancellation of events that welcome big crowds.
Zambelli Fireworks says it is "dealing with the pandemic in the spirit of 'We are all in this together.' We empathize with the extraordinary uncertainty our clients around the country are dealing with. We recognize the difficulty our clients face planning future events in this environment."
The company, which got its start in New Castle, Lawrence County, now has locations in eight states. The company says it has been facing its own supply challenges but wants to reward customer loyalty by not passing along any potential price increases.
"We have added flexibility to our contracts, allowing our clients to postpone their fireworks displays to a future date without penalty," the company said in a statement.
The new contractual flexibility also includes leniency regarding cancellation notices.
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Through April, Zambelli saw most of its spring shows canceled or postponed but remained hopeful things would improve in time for the Fourth of July.
Now the mid-summer cancellations have started to pick up. That is sad news for a company that hoped to help cities celebrate the coronavirus reopening with its world-famous fireworks.
Despite the local news, Zambelli Fireworks' chairman Dr. George Zambelli said, "Zambelli has been around for over 100 years. We survived the pandemic of 1918 and we remain committed to making July 4, 2020, a much-needed celebration of our country in the time-honored tradition Zambelli Fireworks has perfected."
