By Scott Gummer

With all due respect, Times Square can't hold a Roman Candle to The Strip come New Year's Eve. Las Vegas throws a bash that literally has to be seen to be believed, thanks in large part to the eye-popping, jaw-dropping pyrotechnics provided by the Gruccis, America's First Family of Fireworks.

New Year's Eve, Fourth of July, Presidential inaugurations, Olympic Games – the Gruccis do them all. "Celebrating America ties us to our roots," said Phil, the fifth generation executive vice president, whose children are now carrying the torch (pun intended). "We all feel lucky to work together as a family in a business that is creative and a true art form, one that entertains so many people. But on a personal level, every performance reminds us how fortunate we are and makes us appreciative of what we have."

Phil's great-great-grandfather, Angelo Lanzetta, started the family business in 1850 in Bari, Italy. In 1870, Angelo immigrated to America, entering through Ellis Island before settling on Long Island, New York. After Angelo's passing in 1899, his son, Anthony, took over and brought his nephew, Felix Grucci, on as an apprentice. To make ends meet during The Depression, Felix moonlighted playing drums with a local Long Island band. That gig led to his meeting Concetta DiDio, whom Felix married in 1940. Their three children, Felix Jr., Donna and James (Phil's father) all entered the family fireworks trade.

America's bicentennial in 1976 proved a seminal celebration for Fireworks by Grucci, as the company staged an epic show in Boston on the Charles River orchestrated with Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops. However, winning the Gold Medal at the annual Monte Carlo International Fireworks Competition – a first for the United States at the Super Bowl of pyrotechnics – cemented the Gruccis' legacy as America's First Family of Fireworks.

Today, Fireworks by Grucci employs some 175 full-time staff and 350-plus part-time pyrotechnicians, many of whom are white-collar professionals who, seeking a thrill and a front row seat to the extravaganza, pay $100 to enroll in the Gruccis' annual four-day training seminar.

"There is no greater stage than the Las Vegas Strip."

"In times like these we are happy to help people forget about their worries," said Phil, "even if it is only for 20 minutes."

The biggest production the Gruccis have staged in the United States was the Statue of Liberty Centennial in 1986, however their most elaborate ever came at the 2001 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shanghai, China: 23 rooftops, 20 barges, 65 American pyrotechnicians, and over 300 Chinese counterparts. "It was a tremendous honor," said Phil, "to be invited to perform in China, where fireworks were invented."

Technology has come a long way, even in the two generations since Phil's grandfather Felix used flaming scraps of burlap sacks to light the fuses. Today, Phil runs the show from his laptop. Computers not only control the launch sequence, but computer chips placed inside the individual shells are programmed to ignite fireworks within fireworks in mid-air, delivering precision choreography that can be timed to 1/100th of a second.

The Gruccis have also helped refine the chemistry of fireworks. Where once the palette was limited to the colors of the rainbow, now it is more like a box of crayons with tints ranging from chartreuse and magenta to tangerine. The inventory includes over 3,000 effects, many named for flowers and their parts, like Purple Peony with Green Pistil and Silver Dew.

Once a musical score is finalized, Phil will mix and match the myriad effects to the music, taking into account tempo, pace, trajectory, and firing angles. For the Gruccis' annual New Year's Eve show in Las Vegas, work begins eight months in advance. "We start in May," said Phil, who personally spends some 20 hours designing and another 20 hours programming a show that lasts all of eight minutes and 20 seconds.

New Year's Eve-goers in Las Vegas are a discerning audience. "They want non-stop action," said Phil, who coordinates the extravaganza to explode from a dozen resort rooftops. "The New Year's Eve show is one big grand finale, start to finish." For the Gruccis, as well as the hundreds of thousands of revelers who make the party pilgrimage, New Year's Eve in Las Vegas is the icing on the cake at the end of every year. "There is no greater stage," said Phil, "than The Strip."