Expect fireworks, but not at Jones Beach

With the Fourth of July fireworks display at Jones Beach a fizzle for a second year, the Captree Boatmens Association is again filling the void.

As they did last year, members of the charter boat trade group are contributing $50,000 to hire Brookhaven-based Fireworks by Grucci to present the Second Annual Go 4th on the Bay Fireworks display.

While last year's show lit the sky from a barge off Davis Park on Fire Island, this year the barge will be anchored off Bay Shore Marina, allowing more spectators to watch. Association president Kathy Heinlein said the show should be visible from Captree State Park east to Patchogue.

A music simulcast on radio station B-103 during the almost 20-minute show will start at 9:30 p.m., Grucci producer Philip Butler said.

At 8 p.m., historic aircraft from the Bayport Aerodrome will fly the length of Great South Bay. And at 8:30 p.m., a U.S. Army team will conduct a raising of the colors ceremony at Bay Shore Marina.

All 21 charter and party fishing boats based at Captree will be taking passengers out on the bay, to within 1,000 feet of the barge, to watch. Tickets start at $45 per person. "The Captree fleet will have the best seats because we get right up as close as anybody can to the barge," Heinlein said.

Aboard-boat views of Independence Day fireworks have been available for 15 years, dating to the beginning of the state-sponsored Jones Beach display.

SEE PHOTOSFireworks at Jones Beach

The state canceled last year's display, citing a shortage of park police officers. Similar safety concerns led the state parks department to cancel this year's show.

Even though the location has changed, "all the boats participate because it's been a tradition at Captree," Heinlein said. The association boats promote the event with a motto for the night: "Let us do the driving."

About 2,000 people watched last year's fireworks from the charter boats and tens of thousands more watched from their own boats or the shoreline, Heinlein said.

"This year, especially because it's going to be closer to the mainland as opposed to Fire Island, it will definitely have a larger viewing audience," she said.

The association plans to continue sponsoring its own fireworks in the future.

State parks officials say fireworks at Jones Beach are unlikely to return unless the state can train more park police officers. Budget cuts have prohibited the state from holding a training academy for new officers since 2008.