By Elaine Richardson

For most of us summer is—in theory, at least—a time for relaxation, contemplation and maybe even a little vacation. For the folks at Melrose Pyrotechnics, it’s like all the year’s holidays, quadrupled, and packed into the first week of July.

As one of the nation’s largest “display” companies, Melrose produces around 80 percent of its business—more than 800 fireworks shows—during July 4 week, handling everything from the city’s July 3 Lakefront extravaganza to WXRT’s Memorial Day show to smaller shows for more than thirty suburbs, including major shows for Naperville, Rockford, Joliet and Lisle. And that’s not to mention regular commitments to sporting teams, include the White Sox (with whom they’ve worked since the 1950s) and the NASCAR circuit. Read the rest of this entry »