News byanonymous
The third annual Berger fireworks show Saturday night drew more people than previous years and offered the best fireworks production seen in Berger in many years, maybe ever.
The crowd was an estimated 700+ people. It was harder to estimate the size of this year's crowd to previous years because spectators this year were spread all over the park. Several hundred people came to the park shortly before sunset. As the event is free to all, there is no gate and no admission, so no count is available. But the concession stand sold about 25 percent more homemade ice cream than last year and there were more cars parked this year than last.
The fireworks show itself was the best yet, at least in this reporter's opinion. Mike Brummet's Showtime Pyrotechnics always over-services the Berger event, and this year's grande finale had more goosebumps-per-second than his impressive grand finales of 2008 and 2009. The show drew a strong ovation by a very satisfied audience.
The second biggest hit was Harold Englert's homemade ice cream, which completely sold out at 75 cents per scoop. Also a hit were burgers, courtesy of Stony Hill Hall and grilled by Perry and Dylan Bruckerhoff in the recent HHS grads' new homemade BBQ trailer.
Masterful emcee Vernon Kohlbusch entertained the crowd from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Willa Englert, Linda Kleinheider and Livi Pohlmann kept kids busy with an old-fashioned cake walk. Parents were encouraging kids to enter and compete for plates of homemade gooey butter cookies and elaborately-decorated cupcakes.
Hermann Area Boy Scout Troop 116 sold snow cones and funnel cakes, and Grace Outfitters sold T-shirts and hats.
A large inflatable climbing wall and slide brought to the park by Jimmy and Twyla Dyer always had a line of kids waiting. Brian Scott kept a watchful eye on the kids most of the evening.
The concession stand was run by several veterans of all three years of the recent Berger fireworks shows: Barb Flint, Mick Jones, Cindy Litzsinger, Kay Malone and Mary Wilding. Joining the snack shack crew this year was Kati Rose Flint.
At 9:20 p.m., Harold Englert and Brian Scott walked through the crowd with donation buckets and collected several hundred dollars from generous citizens of Franklin, Gasconade and Montgomery counties, at least. Many Hermannites were in attendance, including Hermann Alderman Ron Van Booven and wife Brenda, and Lief Johnson, co-owner of Wings-A-Blazin'. Larry Englert of Englert's Mowing Service, Rhineland, relaxed over the same park grounds he and his staff groomed just two days prior. Ken Allen of Union, Mo. yucked it up with his many Berger friends. Dan and Holly Bickmeyer from Swiss hooted and hollered approval during the fireworks (well, Holly hooted, anyway). The family of Ben Vedder (BMI Computers in New Haven) brought their lawn chairs. Owensville firefighter Bill Leasure provided moral support to Perry and Dylan Bruckerhoff, who stood over hot coals for hours in the muggy weather.
A crew and a half from Hermann Area EMS were on hand for most all of the entire event, as were New Haven-Berger Fire Protection District Chief Wayne Carl and many Berger area firefighters, including Lloyd Ruediger, Justin Overkamp, and Kent Strobel (who told CNL he will be running for the Fire Board "until I am elected or until I die").
The fireworks show started with what has become a local patriotic tradition. Pure small-town Americana.
At 9:40 p.m., the music went silent and a color guard from Boy Scout Troop #116 marched from home plate to the flag pole in deep center field. The entire time the boys marched and raised the flag, the crowd stood in silence, most hands over most hearts.
The boys attached the U.S. flag to the pole and raised it into a waiting spotlight provided by Berger #5 firehouse's flagship fire engine, #454. As soon as the flag moved into the spotlight at the top of the pole, electrician Brian Scott killed the ball field lights and Vernon Kohlbusch sang the national anthem.
As the final lyrics were sung, "…and the home of the brave," the first shell was fired and the fireworks began. A four-man crew put-on a flawless show, which included many large dramatic shells, including a few that displayed rare firework colors such as orange, and an exciting pure yellow.
The Berger city park venue is an ideal venue for fireworks. It is a small park at the bottom of a hill, surrounded by trees. It's been likened to a bowl. Fireworks are exploded almost directly overhead and the booms are close and therefore extra-loud. It is a very intimate setting for a fireworks show.
Even before the grande finale, several in the audience were heard saying, "this is the best fireworks show around here," or to that effect.
After the show, several people came to the snack shack with donations. A couple $10 donations. One woman handed a snack shack worker a $20 bill for the bucket.
The current fireworks tradition began with Herb and Darleen McDaris, when they were operators of Darleen's One-Stop in Berger. In 2005 and 2006, Darleen's One-Stop was a convenience store. For a couple years, there was a donation jar on the counter and the McDarises made-up the shortfall and hired Showtime Pyrotechnics out of Cuba, Mo., Mike Brummet, owner.
Brummet's men put-on a nice show for the town in 2005 and 2006, and people were grateful. In fact, the fireworks show was one of the most-anticipated events in sleepy Berger.
No show was put-on in 2007. So in 2008 a group of Bergerites proposed the city government front the fee for a firework show -- doubling the size of Darleen's One-Stop's 2006 show, and the citizens group would sell food and soft drinks to recover as much of the fee as possible. The event would be held the day after July 4, partly because that's all Showtime had available on their calendar and partly in an attempt not to compete with other more established fireworks shows in the region.
In order to hold the fireworks show in Berger's city park, the citizens group had to invest weeks of volunteer hours in rehabbing the neglected park.
The 2008 show drew about 400 people.
The Berger chamber was formed a month later, and the 2009 and 2010 fireworks shows have used no taxpayer dollars. The 2009 show drew an estimated 650 people. More than 700 last night.
The Berger Area Chamber of Commerce was founded in August 2008, at the home of Tim and Barb Flint on Rosalie St. In addition to the annual summertime fireworks show, the chamber produces free kid-centered events at Christmas (a visit from Santa on fire engine 454), an Easter egg hunt, and a hay ride and pumpkin hunt on Halloween night.
In 2008, the Chamber purchased new high-quality bases for the city park ball field. There were no profits from the 2009 show, and any profits from the 2010 show first may be applied to the 2011 show, if chamber president Harold Englert prevails in a future board meeting. Englert was heard encouraging people to plan to return the weekend before July 4 in 2011.
In the past two years, Englert himself raised most of the money for the firework show fee. For much of the year, Englert's shirt pocket contains a stack of raffle tickets he proudly sells to friend and co-workers.
A profitable snack shack would be nearly impossible without generous donations from local businesses, including Stony Hill Hall, Bethany Church, Calvin's Distributing, Pepsi of New Haven, Seitter's Food Markets, New Haven Save-A-Lot, Deppe Farms, and Swiss Sausage & Meat Co. Chamber board members Shelly Bruckerhoff and Barb Flint work hard throughout the spring and summer to line-up donations. Sales and donation totals were not yet available when this article was published.
A generous donation of pesticide from Mark Koch and KV Seeds made sure mosquitos weren't part of the evening.
Board members of the Berger Area Chamber of Commerce are: Harold Englert, president; Brian Scott, vice-president; Barb Flint, treasurer; Willa Englert, Perry Bruckerhoff, Shelly Bruckerhoff, and Jeff Noedel. Larry Englert and Wendy Theissen attend many board meetings, as well.
Since its formation, the top goals of the Chamber have been to increase a sense of community in Berger by providing free family-centered events for Berger and Berger's neighbors, and to improve the Berger City Park. The Chamber has discussed other ambitions, including attracting businesses and jobs to Berger, forming a community redevelopment subsidiary for rehabbing and renting Berger's historic buildings to solid citizens and good businesses, and building a community center.
More general members and board members are needed.
To join the chamber, contact Harold or Willa Englert at (573) 834-5392.
Source: www.countynewslive.com
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