An impressive fireworks display followed the football season opener Saturday, bringing the fireworks back after a two-year hiatus.
"This was the first weekend evening game we have had in a couple of years," said Hunter Yurachek, director of marketing and promotions in the Athletics Department. "With a game starting at six o'clock on a Saturday and ending approximately at nine o'clock, it was the perfect opportunity to bring back the fireworks."
The fireworks display, which cost $5,000, was sponsored and paid for by the marketing wing of the Athletic Department, Yurachek said. They were purchased from Fireworks Productions in Pennsylvania and shot off from the water tower at Lewis Mountain.
Many students received the fireworks display enthusiastically.
"It was quite an impressive show and really raised Wahoo pride," first-year College student Kate Graham said. "It would be a nice tradition to have fireworks for every season opener."
This past summer, the University Programs Committee began exploring the possibility of having fireworks for homecoming weekend, which is Sept. 24 and 25, UPC Special Programs Chair Spence Ingram said. However, practical considerations, such as location, safety and hazards, made it impossible for the UPC to further pursue fireworks at homecoming.
"We all worked together on this project, and in the end, it was determined that it was not appropriate and feasible for this type of show," Ingram said. "[The UPC] is moving forward with some new, innovative things right now. It's all about the homecoming spirit and bringing the student body and the civic community together to embrace the spirit that is U.Va."
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