Macy’s 4th of July fireworks moved to the Hudson this year, in honor of Henry Hudson’s voyage 400 years ago on the Dutch ship the Half Moon. Born on the Fourth of July, Macy’s Creative Director Bill Schermerhorn has always loved Independence Day. His Dutch roots and over 27 years of experience working for Macy's Fireworks make him the guy to talk to about this year's 4th of July Fireworks on the Hudson River. To get all the ins and outs, NY400 met up with him a few days prior to the spectacle.
Schermerhorn came up with the idea to move the fireworks to the Hudson River as early as the summer of 2007. ‘I knew the 400th celebration of Hudson’s voyage was coming up, and I thought the 4th of July Fireworks needed to be epic to fit this historic occasion. If we’d be doing this salute to Henry Hudson, it would have to be on the Hudson River, I told our creative team.'
Macy’s fireworks originally started on the Hudson River. In fact, in 1959 they also held the fireworks on the Hudson during the 350th anniversary. Schermerhorn and his team even found the artwork from 1959, which inspired them for this year’s poster.
Schermerhorn wrote the lyrics to the musical score the fireworks are fired to. ‘I live on the West Side of Manhattan and did a lot of walking along the Hudson River. I tried to imagine what it was like for Henry Hudson as he sailed up the river 400 years ago. And Steven Flaherty did the same thing.’ (Flaherty, who won a Tony Award for Rag Time, wrote the music to the score.)
The result is called ‘American River Suite’, performed by The New York Pops. Of course they play all the classic 4th of July songs, but the heart of the score is the ‘American River Suite’ that opens with a song called ‘Half Moon’. ‘It starts as if you are exploring a new world, a wilderness', Schermerhorn explains. ‘And as Henry Hudson was sailing for a passage to China, he wasn’t searching for Manhattan, the whole thought was what will you find when you start to explore? That’s part of the American character; you’re always looking beyond the horizon. What we celebrate on the 4th of July is our desire to explore.’
One of Schermerhorns challenges was to make sure the theme would resonate on a national level. ‘The question was how to take something perceived as a local story, and turn it into a national story. Part of that is the influence of the Dutch; the Dutch spirit, the belief in entrepreneurship, their strong belief in tolerance and individual freedom all helped shape the American character and the American spirit. So it really is something to celebrate as a national event.’
How much does he know about his own Dutch roots? ‘I do have Dutch ancestors, and I’m very proud of that. I really didn’t know anything about it until I was in high school when I found a Schermerhorn genealogy book in my grandmother’s attic. It was all about our family’s Dutch heritage. Someone had gone in there and traced the family history on some pieces of paper. Unfortunately I lost the last page… So it picks it up in the eighteen hundreds and goes back from there. I still need to get from there to the present day to fill in the blanks of my Dutch roots!’
Where he will view the fireworks? Schermerhorn laughs. ‘You are not going to believe this, but in the 27 years I have been doing this, I’ve never seen the fireworks live. I’m always watching them on a small screen in the NBC studio...’
What the best spots are for New Yorkers to watch the show? ‘If you have an apartment overlooking the Hudson River, you’re all set! No, but really anywhere between 23rd Street and 51st Street along the river provides a great view.’
For more information on the 33rd annual Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks, visit www.macys.com/campaign/sitelets/fireworks/index.jsp
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