Photo by Matt de Simone
By Matt de Simone
Paige Ware has lived in the Town of Fincastle for almost her entire life. She is a member of Town Council, a retired county librarian, and is heavily involved with her church and local organizations.
For the last 25 years, Ware has coordinated Fincastle’s fireworks event every July 4th. This year’s event will take place this Thursday night at Breckinridge Elementary School with fireworks beginning right after sundown.
Fincastle’s fireworks display is an annual event for locals and even for people who don’t live in the Fincastle/Botetourt area. Over the years, Ware has heard guests laud the spectacle and show their appreciation for the uniqueness of the event.
“So many people have told me that they would rather come to Fincastle for the fireworks because it was always such a wonderful event,” Ware said in a recent interview. “You wouldn’t believe how many people from Roanoke come here (for the fireworks). I’ve had people come and say, ‘Well, we were going to Roanoke, but we read that there were fireworks down here and we’ll be back from now on.’”
Ware took over coordinating the fireworks for Jeff Bowles, who took over from Harold Robertson, who originally set off the pyrotechnics uptown. She has several memories of the fireworks shows of years past but one year, in particular, Ware recalled a great fog that swept over the Fincastle area.
“One year, a fog rolled in,” she recalled. “Willie Simmons and his crew used fire them off at the baseball diamond (at Breckinridge). Well, we couldn’t see the fireworks at all due to the fog. Patty Ellis lived on the hill behind the Quickette and she could see it. They saw this beautiful fireworks (show across the road), but anyone that was over (at Breckinridge) couldn’t see it because of the fog!”
She remembers how Willie Simmons would travel to Tennessee to purchase the fireworks every year and would bring back a display that would outshine the previous year’s show. She recalled that one year Simmons met “the man in charge” who would donate additional pyrotechnics on top of the town’s purchase for the Fincastle show. The crew would arrive a few hours prior to folks arriving to rig up the display. Now, the company who sets off the fireworks, Master Displays, Ltd. of Roanoke, arrives shortly before the event ready to go.
Ware feels that people enjoy the setting and that there is less “hustle and bustle” involved with parking and setting up to watch the spectacle. While guests find their spot on the ballfield, the town is excited about a special addition to this year’s event. VFW Post 1841 selling hot dogs, chips, and soft drinks for attendees that will be available beginning at 6 p.m.
Ware is appreciative for the individuals who no longer live in Fincastle who annually donate to the event. Great memories are long-lasting and those individuals continue to share their fondness of July 4th’s of the past.
The town is still seeking donations to help support the town’s annual fireworks display. Anyone interested in donating may do so by mailing donations to P.O. Box 250, Fincastle. Va., 24090, and by donating to the town’s Venmo account, @Townof-Fincastle. The town will also accept cash donations this Thursday night.
