By Tim McCarthy
tmccarthy@haverhillgazette.com
—
Folks who attend the downtown River Ruckus on Aug. 14 are going to be treated to the spectacle of the future today.
Instead of traditional fireworks to close the day's festivities, the River Ruckus will feature a multi-colored laser spectacular to round out the evening.
"We want to entertain residents and visitors with something that had never been experienced in the region," said River Ruckus committee member Eric Karlstad. "Fireworks are great, but we wanted something different, something that symbolized the future of Haverhill."
LaserNet, a Miami-based company that's been producing laser light shows since 1968, will run the show.
Using a "peacock water screen," which blasts a fan-shaped jet of water into the air as a makeshift backdrop 60 feet tall and 120 feet wide from a barge out on the Merrimack river, LaserNet's show will produce a series of colorful images, sponsor logos and lights tied to an eclectic musical sound track that's bound to delight audiences of all ages. The show will feature music from U2, John Melencamp and more. A theme of the program will be especially popular with fans of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, Karlstad said.
Northern Massachusetts Telephone Workers Community Credit Union, which has recently opened a branch at 20 Cushing Ave., in Haverhill, is the light show's sponsor.
"Without the generous support from NMTW Community Credit Union, we would not be able to include the laser light show in our event," said Karlstad.
The show starts at 9 p.m. along the new boardwalk behind The Tap restaurant on Washington Street. The show is expected to run a half hour.
