The annual Fourth of July Huntington fireworks display, postponed this year due to the burn ban, is set to commence at last this Saturday, Aug. 4, off the grounds of Huntington North High School at 10 p.m.

Dan Fisher, chair of the fireworks display for American Legion Post 7, has been involved with fireworks displays since 1982 and can't remember a display ever facing "more than a day or two delay."

Fisher, however, is quick to praise Leon Hurlburt, deputy chief and fire marshal with the Huntington Fire Department, for his decision to delay the show.

"I believe he made the right decision. It was unsafe on the Fourth," says Fisher.

Accordingly, the delay necessitated storing the fireworks to be used in the show and the accompanying equipment a bit longer than Fisher and his volunteers are used to.

"It was a big change for us because we were all ready to go and then we had to store stuff longer," says volunteer Jocelyn Flint. "We had to cover all the racks up. We have to reapply for permits."

With the lifting of the burn ban on Friday, July 27, Aug. 4 became an appealing date to reschedule the display for, being the first available weekend that
Fisher and his volunteers could get together.

While the traditional date for the display may have been a casualty of the ban, Fisher and Flint's enthusiasm was not.

"It's going to be a pretty neat show. I'm trying not to give anything away," teases Flint. "Our grand finale does have three kind of unique sections to it; that's about all I'll say on that."

Fisher expresses his gratitude to Huntington County residents for being understanding and patient during the process of rescheduling the display, which takes a year to plan.

"If we can't do the Fourth of July, we'll settle for August 4," says Flint. "We work all year for one day."