Fireworks and Photos of Nutley's Fourth of July 2012
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
John Gizzi of Slipped Disc not only kept youngsters busy with a continuous assortment of games and contests all afternoon. Gizzi also prepared the 40-minute musical July 4th salute that accompanied the fireworks. The selection of music was applauded by the estimated five thousand person who crowded onto the Oval and on to Franklin Avenue and neighboring streets for the super fireworks display.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
Barbecued snacks and a warm sun on the front lawn of the John J. Walker School preceded the arrival of the crowds for the evening's July 4th festivities in Nutley.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
One of the most fascinating games was the "tug of war." There were three rounds. Youngsters who reside in Nutley lost the first round. Out-of-town visitors lost the second round. And in the tie-breaker (photo above,) Nutley prevailed for an undefeated record over the past four years. Many of the visitors were interviewed before the contest revealing that perhaps as many as a thousand younsters were visiting Nutley from scores of communities including a few from New York City.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
Not certain but we believe the young lady in the pink shirt was the winner of the ring balancing contest - one of the many late afternoon games on Tangorra Field.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
Keeping an eye on the youngsters from the July 4th sidelines were the moms and grandmoms. This happy group includes (l-r) Kim Mexiti, Matene Rescinito and daughter Amanda, Michelle Gizzi, Connie Schuren and Nicole Schuren.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
A variety of food and drink all along Franklin Avenue in the late afternoon. Hundreds of chairs were also set up along the street in time for the evening's pyrotechnics excitement.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
More than 1,000 people eventually crowded onto Tangorra Field at the Park Oval as the sun slowly set in the west. An assortment of games for the youngsters were organized for several hours on the Oval by John Gizzi of Slipped Disc in Nutley.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
As darkness fell over Nutley, the front lawn of the Nutley Public Safety Building quickly was filled with families and baby carriages. There were plenty of good spots in town to see the fireworks.
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Enlarge This Photo | Photo by NJHometown |
This was the picture the Hometown photographer liked the best. Taken from the outside and looking through the iron-picket fence on Chestnut Street, Nutley High School can clearly be seen in the distance with spectators seated on the Park Oval from the foreground to about the 30-yard line on Tangorra Field. The pyrotechnics were lit in the high school parking lot facing the Park Oval. The display accompanied by John Gizzi's terrific musical accompaniment lasted a half-hour - truly one of the best July 4th displays ever in Nutley. Mayor Aphonse Petracco was the overall producer of this year's celebration.
Jul 5, 2012 – A spectacular display of fireworks that dazzled perhaps as many as 5,000 townspeople and guests who watched from seats and pillows set up on Tangorra Field ended what many are saying was one of the most enjoyable July 4th celebrations ever in Nutley. With morning and afternoon games and contests for youngsters, the streets were filled with vendors and food carts, and the evening pyrotechnics spectacular may have been the best that ever fell from the skies over Nutley.
Mayor Alphonse Petracco took full charge of the day-long and evening production that began with a rousing rendition of God Bless America and the Star Spangled Banner by 10-year old Cecelia Mielnicki of Washington School followed immediately by scenes like the one pictured at the right - non-stop pyrotechnic displays that safely fell over the Park Oval, dazzling a crowd of nearly 5,000 while another thousand or so watched from neighboring streets including Franklin Avenue and the Walker Middle School lawn.
The pyrotechnics were lit in the high school parking lot facing the Park Oval and burst into a never-ending variety of shapes and colors in front of the crowed numbering nearly 4,000 who were seated nearby on the Park Oval, behind what would be the 30-yard line of a football game in another three months.
The dazzling displays were also cheered by crowds along Franklin Avenue and chairs were set up and filled along Chestnut Street in front of Town Hall.
The day began with games for children staged on Tangorra Field. By noon a street fair was underway along Franklin Avenue. The crowds grew in the afternoon as townspeople visited food stands and children crowded onto the Park Oval for three hours of fun and games skillfully directed by John Gizzi of Nutley's Slipped Disc.
One of the "games" was a huge "tug of war" with Nutley youngsters pulling a thick rope in one direction and "out of town visitors" tugging to the opposite. Gizzi, who narrated the contest over loud speakers, introduced some of the out-of-town youngsters revealing that visitors yesterday hailed from towns all over northern New Jersey and a few from New York.
"Nutley has never lost this tug of war," now in its third year, Gizzi said. Yesterday, the "visitors" won the first round, Nutley fought hard and won the second, and the junior Nutley Raiders huffed and puffed and toppled the competition for the victory.
Gizzi also produced the 40-minute non-stop "sound track" that incorporated a wide variety of music that added to spectacular fireworks display that dazzled not only those seated on Tangorra Field, but many who simple watched from their front steps throughout the town.
The photograph featured on Hometown's front page was taken from Chestnut Street looking through the iron bars of the fence looking south over the Park Oval. Nutley High School can clearly be seen in the distance with spectators seated on the Park Oval from the foreground to about the 30-yard line on Tangorra Field.
The pyrotechnics were lit in the high school parking lot facing the Park Oval. The display accompanied by John Gizzi's terrific musical accompaniment lasted a half-hour - truly one of the best July 4th displays ever in Nutley. Mayor Aphonse Petracco was the overall producer of this year's celebration.
(More photos are published below.)
