St. Cloud Fireworks Director Turns Focus to Next Year After Stormy Fourth of July

(KNSI) – St. Cloud Fireworks Executive Director Christina Buttenhoff is looking past a stormy Fourth of July and turning her attention toward next year’s show, addressing the malfunctions and delays that frustrated some spectators during an appearance on KNSI’s Hot Talk with the Ox on Monday.

Severe weather tore through Wilson Park Saturday night, just hours before the display was set to begin. A tornado warning for Stearns County and a severe thunderstorm warning for St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids and Waite Park brought winds up to 60 miles per hour and half-dollar-sized hail, followed by flash flood warnings that lasted until 8:00 p.m. The storm destroyed the board’s digital display and sound equipment, downed a tree near the launch site, and damaged part of the fireworks display itself, including a grand finale section that failed to ignite.

Buttenhoff says emergency air traffic near the park was unusually heavy in the hours leading up to the show. “There were a lot of choppers coming in and out. The medevac choppers. More than I’ve ever noticed over the years.”

That traffic ended up delaying the show itself. Law enforcement notified organizers just minutes before the scheduled 10:00 p.m. launch that a Life Link helicopter needed to land nearby to transport a patient. Crews held off until they got the all-clear, and fireworks finally launched around 10:18 p.m.

The board has also fielded questions about why the display isn’t launched from a barge on the Mississippi River anymore. Buttenhoff says that setup has been retired for several years and would add roughly $30,000 in cost, along with requiring a licensed captain, a role that’s been vacant since the death of the event’s longtime captain. This year, high water levels after the storm would have made a barge launch impossible anyway.

No serious injuries were reported. Buttenhoff credited volunteers, city crews, police, fire and EMS for keeping people safe through a night that also saw the concert stage lose its sound equipment to water damage.

Despite the setbacks, Buttenhoff says the board isn’t dwelling on it.
“I keep getting the comment that it couldn’t get much worse, and I’m hoping that’s the case. We’ve got a pretty good crew, and we’re positive people.” The board is now shifting its focus to 2027 and what would be the 81st consecutive fireworks display in St. Cloud.

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