News : Boomtown 2011 to come a month early; event set for August 26-27

Did you like Boomtown so much last September that you did not want to wait a whole year to see the gigantic fireworks display again?

If so, you don’t have to.

This year, the annual Boomtown event – the joint effort of the Iowa Pyrotechnic Association and Vinton Unlimited – will take place in August.

The date of Boomtown was one of the items of business the IPA members discussed during their annual winter business meeting today at the Vinton Palace. This is the only time of the year when the weather does not permit the members of the fireworks organization to set off fireworks after a meeting. In addition to conducting business, the members also saw a video of last year’s Boomtown.

In previous years, Iowa football fans have set up large screens and projectors to watch the Hawkeyes when they had night games the same date as Boomtown.

This year, there was another scheduling conflict between Boomtown and the Hawkeyes. Now, the man who does the sound system for the Hawkeyes also does the same thing for Boomtown. He will be busy at an Iowa game in September, so the event was moved to August 26-27, the final Friday and Saturday of that month.

Boomtown Committee member Tami Stark – who as the former VU director four years ago organized the first Boomtown – said she is glad to see the event move to August. She told the IPA members during Saturday’s meeting that plans are progressing for the annual event. Veridian Credit Union has again expressed interest in being the title sponsor. The Booomtown Committee is working on entertainment, T-shirts and other details.

The members will also meet on April 2, May 28-29 (Memorial Day weekend, when the members will camp at Chuck Yedlik’s farm), and the annual year-end wrap-up in November.

They also re-elected Tom Pingenot of Vinton as their treasurer. Yedlik continues to serve as the IPA President.