Macy's Gets 60,000 Fireworks Ready For Big 4th Of July Show

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- New York City is getting ready for America's biggest birthday celebration.

Fifty technicians are busy loading up and inspecting 60,000 pyrotechnic effects that will be a part of the 41st Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show over the East River next week.

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At a secret Staten Island location on Thursday, technicians were going inch by inch, shell by shell to make sure each one is ready to go for the big show.

Show designer Gary Souza said they have some new tricks up their sleeves.

"Some 70 percent of them have never been used in the Macy's show before," he said.

"Some aerial shells are going to have up to 11-second durations that are going to change effects up to six, seven, eight times," Souza said. "The key moment of the show is going to be to find the magic happy face. Everybody loves the smiley faces that have always been in the Macy's show in the last 10 years. This happy face is not just going to jump out at you it's going to come from within an aqua bursting chrysanthemum where all of a sudden it'll just pop right in and twinkle with its eyes in front of you." 

In addition to the hidden happy face, there will be a golden mile and a new ghosting pattern.

"You have these stars that will turn on and basically burn dark. You don't see them, but they are still burning," Souza said. "And then they come back on again with the brighter white, or red or whatever color they were before."

Custom-designed computerized digital firing systems are used by Macy's.

Some of the fireworks weigh up to 35 pounds each.

1010 WINS is the official radio station of the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular

Tune in for special coverage of the fireworks starting at 9 p.m. next Tuesday.

In:
• Peter Haskell