Paramus Fireworks Went Off Despite Storm [PHOTOS]

Photos by Christopher Costa 
Article by Alana Quartuccio 

The Paramus fireworks show went off Sunday despite a 45-minute delay due to the thunderstorm. 

According to Mayor Richard LaBarbiera the borough had an emergency system in place which sufficiently handled the situation. 

"By no means did we put the show above the safety of the people," said the mayor who said the Office of Emergency Management, police and other departments were involved in tracking the storm. 

The borough used a lightning predictor which sets off an alarm notifying all to vacate the field. When the alarms went off people were instructed to leave the field and return to their cars to wait out the storm.  Once they received clearance they were able to invite folks back onto the field. 

"It was very assuring that so many people came back, sat down and enjoyed one of the best fireworks people have seen in a long time," said Pat Verile, councilman and liaison to the Paramus Chamber of Commerce which organized the event. 

Although some did not return a good 30 to 40 percent of the 5,000 or 6,000 people who came out for the show came back to the field to see the fireworks which went off at 9:55 p.m. he said. 

The mayor said unfortunately there was some confusion that the show had been cancelled amongst those who weren't in the immediate vicinity and weren't able to get the most up-to-date information. 

"All in all we made the best of what was a hiccup," said LaBarbiera. 

Prior to the display families were able to enjoy performances byThe Choomnoori Korean Traditional Dance School, The Paramus Community Orchestra, The Paramus Players, and an FMA Family Martial Arts demonstration. 

Westfield Garden State Plaza was the main sponsor of the event. 

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