Behind the boom: Princeton’s John Mikrut Jr. puts on the fireworks show

PRINCETON — Despite what the calendar claims, for many, summer doesn’t officially kick off until the 4th of July, and nothing says celebration like a good fireworks show.

For most people, little thought goes into the show besides enjoying it, but not John Mikrut Jr. He’s been thinking about Princeton’s Fireworks show for about the last nine months.

Mikrut, who works for Crater Fireworks in Mineral has been in the industry for over 17 years, having gotten a taste for it after seeing the setup for a friend’s private show two decades ago.

He’s done Walnut’s fireworks show for years, which he did again Saturday, but this is the first year he’s helmed Princeton’s show, which he also choreographed.

Mikrut says a typical show, lasting about 27-30 minutes takes an entire day for 6-8 people to set up, with several hours of cleanup after the crowds disperse. And this isn’t something just anyone can do he says. In order to run the show, he’s got to be licensed by the Department of Natural Resources as well as the state Fire Marshal.

The show takes months of planning, this one he said took about 8-9 months with 4-5 months alone computer programming the show to perfection. Each blast is programmed to a tenth of a second he said.

Asked whether spending nearly a year planning the show is worth 30 minutes of payoff, Mikrut has no hesitation.

“The biggest rush is when the finale is done and the crowd goes nuts,” Mikrut said. “I get chills every single time.”