Nearly 2,000 shells will explode tonight during the fireworks display that caps the Flats’ daylong Waterfront Festival. Be sure to stick around for the 20-minute spectacular’s finale, says pyromaniacal producer Chris Mele. “They’ll break blind, and you’ll go, ‘Man, that one’s a dud.’ Then they’ll suddenly burst into umbrella patterns for a superlong time!” The fest starts at 9 a.m. with canoe races on the Cuyahoga River. From noon to 8:30 p.m., artists display their works at the Arts on Wheels Art Fest in Nautica’s parking lot. At 1 p.m., the Northern Ohio Breast Cancer Coalition Fund carries out its annual ritual of stringing 200 bras across the river. Then the fireworks are launched at 9:30 p.m. “The Flats are on the rise,” says organizer Tom Newman. “This festival marks their comeback.”
Tue., July 4, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 18, 2006.