Watching the CarmelFest fireworks is an annual July 4 tradition for Ozzy Taylor, but this year he won’t be able to see them.
Instead, the Carmel High School student will be on campus working behind the scenes to enhance the viewing experience for the rest of the community.
Taylor, who will be a senior in the fall, is a live show manager for 93.1 WHJE, a radio station run by CHS that plays patriotic music synchronized to the fireworks show. As CarmelFest attendees turn their attention to the skies, Taylor will be in a studio awaiting a signal to begin the music at just the right moment.
“I enjoy fireworks a lot. It’s OK that I’m going to miss it for one year,” he said. “This is just a different way of seeing the fireworks. (I’ll be) feeling the fireworks, is how I would say it.”
Taylor plans to arrive at the studio several hours before the 9:45 p.m. fireworks display to broadcast a live show to build excitement before the main event.
Independence Day is the only time during summer break that WHJE offers a live broadcast, according to Dominic James, station manager and CHS radio adviser.
“We have more people tuning in during the fireworks at 9 o’clock on the Fourth than any other time during the year,” James said. “Even our big Friday night football games are surpassed by the number of people listening to the radio on July 4.”
The WHJE studio is being reconstructed this summer at CHS as part of several upgrades at the school, but James said broadcasting equipment has been set up elsewhere in the building to ensure “the show could go on.”
Anyone wanting to listen to WHJE during the fireworks display are encouraged to tune in through a radio. Streaming services carry the station, but it will be delayed and not synchronized to the fireworks.
Jeff Worrell, a CarmelFest volunteer and longtime coordinator of the fireworks show, said this year’s display is set to run 27 minutes and 19 seconds. He said the audio will begin with an excerpt of a speech by President Ronald Reagan followed by a playlist of patriotic songs Worrell selected. The fireworks are set to begin as the Carmel Symphony Orchestra concludes its performance on the gazebo stage at Civic Square.
The fireworks will be shot into the sky from the Carmel Ice Skadium parking lot on 3rd Ave. SW.
Taylor, who plans to pursue meteorology as a career, said he was honored to be selected to manage the July 4 WHJE broadcast.
“I’m a very enthusiastic person, so that’s why they want me on the July 4 show to get some upbeat music and talking to people through it,” he said. “A ton of people listening is something that scares everybody, but I’m already used to it. Once you do it your first or second time, it’s just like talking to yourself or your friend.”
Learn more about WHJE at WHJE.com. Learn more about CarmelFest at CarmelFest.net.
Spark Button program ends
For the first time in 30 years, Spark Buttons will not be sold to financially support the CarmelFest fireworks show.
Jeff Worrell, a CarmelFest volunteer and longtime coordinator of the fireworks show, said over the years it became increasingly difficult to run the Spark Button program, which included gathering coupons from local vendors.
He also said the financial return had diminished, while at the same time support from other sources increased. This year the City of Carmel is contributing $79,500 for the fireworks show, and for the first time the show has a corporate sponsor: Napleton Automotive Group.
