BEACHWOOD – The fireworks over the Toms River, organized by Beachwood, will make its triumphant return this year, Mayor Ronald Roma said.
As coronavirus restrictions are slowly being lessened, towns are starting to plan their big events. More outside events are being put on the calendar – partially because of the weather and partially because it’s safer to do so.
Between people being vaccinated and the fact that COVID-19 spreads less easily outside, events like the Beachwood fireworks are going to finally happen this year.
Last year, they had to postpone it to Labor Day weekend, hoping that conditions would be better by then. During last summer, the Ocean County Health Department said that the average age of people testing positive for the virus had dropped from 54.8 to 35. They attributed this mainly to summer gatherings.
The Beachwood Fireworks Committee and emergency management wound up having to cancel it all together. It was not an easy decision to make, officials said at the time. It was impossible to follow the governor’s social distancing guidelines. A Toms River resident wound up funding a July 4 fireworks show over Shelter Cove.
The fireworks could attract 15,000 people. Some of them squeeze into parks and beaches. Some set up chairs on Route 9 or other places that you can watch from.
In 2018, there weren’t any fireworks at all, again due to forces beyond their control.
The fireworks vendor, Fireworks Extravaganza, was not able to ship the fireworks. They did not have staff available with licenses to transport explosives. They later said they had a problem with a driver, and did not have a good Plan B.
They were scheduled to put on shows at several other venues on the same day. They were not able to get to Beachwood and Milltown.
To make up for the failure they put on 2019’s fireworks free of charge.
Support The Fireworks
Although local officials are heavily involved in the planning of the fireworks, it’s not paid for by tax dollars. Rather, it relies on donations. In fact, if every family just gave a few dollars, it would pay for itself.
Checks can be made out to “Beachwood Fireworks,” and mailed to the municipal building at 1600 Pinewald Road, Beachwood, NJ 08722.
Memorial Day Parade
Beachwood Volunteer Fire Company invited the public to their annual Firefighter Memorial Service and Community Parade on Memorial Day (May 31). The Firefighter services begin at 10 a.m. in front of the firehouse on Beachwood Boulevard. The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. from the fire station and proceeds to Neilson Memorial Park (Beachwood Blvd & Compass Ave) where the Borough’s Memorial Day Service will take place.
Any organization wishing to participate in the parade is asked to contact the fire department at admin@bvfd16.com to register.
