Passing the Spark: Beechley to Light Up Groesbeck’s 4th of July Sky

For the last 21 years, the Groesbeck July 4th fireworks show has been organized by now-retired Jay Smith. This year, for the first of hopefully many, the show will be directed by Lake Mexia local and Smith's friend, Marvin Beechley. I met with Smith and Beechley Friday, June 28 to discuss the changing of the guard and this year’s show.
Beechley has been passionate about fireworks his entire life but has only been professionally involved for around four years. He recounted how, several years ago, the Lake Mexia Citizen’s Association circulated a price list for Jay’s Fireworks. “I've been into fireworks since I was a kid, but when I saw the stuff he had and the prices, I had to see him,” Beechley said. Initially, he performed small lakeside shows, sourcing all his “good stuff” from Smith. Eventually, Smith invited him to assist with one of his Groesbeck shows, and Beechley was hooked.
Smith then directed Beechley to the Pyrotechnic Association of Texas (PAT), which holds biannual meetings with clinics, safety seminars, and evening fireworks shows. Some fireworks are even crafted on-site. “If you really want to learn this business, that’s where you need to start,” Beechley explained. “To get licensed as an operator and do fireworks shows, you need sign-offs from authorized individuals. You earn those by assisting them with shows. Two of mine were from Jay, and the others from people I met through PAT.”
Beechley shared that over the years, Smith had imparted invaluable tips and tricks. When asked if he could provide a sneak peek of new or exciting elements for this year’s show, Beechley revealed he would be using pyrotechnic devices never before seen in Groesbeck. He also mentioned a new, modernized system that runs remotely and is synchronized to the chosen music. “All the fireworks are tied into wireless modules in the fields, communicating with a controller. The music, order, and sequence are pre-programmed into the controller. When it's showtime, with everything set up correctly, I just hit start, and the whole show runs.”
Beechley has taken time off his day job to plan and set up the show this week. When asked if he plans to take over the show indefinitely, Beechley expressed his commitment to continuing as long as possible. He hopes to retire from his day job in the next few years to dedicate more time to fireworks shows in the future.
For fun, I asked which song he would choose for a no-budget, choreographed fireworks show. After some thought, he decided he would do the album “Nevermind” by Nirvana, his favorite band.
When asked if he had any final thoughts, Smith simply said, “After 21 years, the show is in good hands.”