The Fourth of July brings many fireworks displays throughout the area, but Best 9 voters have agreed that one of the most spectacular displays is found in Toronto, Ohio.

Bob Neal, president of the Toronto Fourth of July Committee and a licensed exhibitor with the Pyrotechnico fireworks company out of New Castle, Pa., said the fireworks display in Toronto is one of the largest in the area -- both in terms of budget and number of fireworks shells used in the show.

Neal explained that the fireworks display also takes place at the Toronto High School football stadium, which puts the crowd as close to the fireworks display as they are legally permitted to be so the display is basically "in their face."

The fireworks are the grand finale of the day-long Fourth of July celebration in Toronto and are known as "Red Knight and Blue" in honor of the Toronto High School's mascot, the Red Knight.

The fireworks show is scripted to music and feature about 1,500 - 1,600 shells, about 500 more than other area shows, Neal noted. The finale alone features about 1,000 fireworks shells.

The show takes "an enormous amount of work" to set up, Neal said.

It takes a few weeks to get it set to music, eight trips to New Castle to get all the shells needed for the fireworks display, about a week to number the shells as to where they are to go off during the show and to put electric matches in each shell, about three days to set the mortars and two days to load them for the 20-23-minute fireworks show, Neal explained.

Neal's wife, Jane, helps coordinate the music for the show, while Dan and Jeanne Van Fossen also assist in the show's preparation.

The show itself is set up by a crew of licensed exhibitors and registered assistants who work 14-to-16-hour days. Dick Shetler, R.J. Stewart and John Sciance all are licensed exhibitors who help with the many preparations needed to put on such a spectacular display. Tom Trifonoff, Erik Weber, Drew Stewart and George Scott are the registered assistants on the crew.

Sponsorship of the fireworks plays a large role in the presentation as almost every business in Toronto supports it, Neal said, and without this sponsorship, such a show would not be possible.

The Toronto Community Band performs at the stadium before the show to provide additional entertainment for the crowd, which starts to form early in the afternoon.

Focus in Toronto and the Toronto Chamber of Commerce work together to plan the rest of the day's activities as part of the "Gem City Celebration Day" Fourth of July event, explained Amy Rice, chamber office administrator.

"It's a whole day event," she said, noting they try to have events all day long leading up to the grand finale showcasing the fireworks.

They also try to involve as many organizations, merchants, and churches in the celebration's activities as possible, she added.

The city's police, fire and EMS units work together to provide the popular Safety Day exhibits most of the day, she said. On display for visitors are a wide number of safety vehicles, including police cars and fire trucks. Police dogs are also there.

Other events held in conjunction with the fireworks include the Robert Urich 5 Mile Run and 3K Walk, a turtle race at the Newburg Landing, a Kid and Pet Parade, inflatables, carnival games, a food court, and sidewalk sales by city merchants.