Fourth of July fireworks a ‘go’ for 2022: sponsored by Showcase Cinemas and hosted by Hingham Lions Club

May 2, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer

Hingham's traditional Fourth of July fireworks display will return this year, more spectacular than ever, following a three-year hiatus.

Thanks to community support and a new partnership with Showcase Cinemas, the Hingham Harborworks fireworks display will light up the sky in 2022 in celebration of the opening of the Showcase Cinema de Lux Hanover Crossing this fall and of the popular holiday itself.

Showcase Cinemas -- a world leader in the motion picture exhibition industry -- will be the presenting sponsor of the Friday, July 1 event, which will be hosted by the Lions Club of Hingham, as has been the case for many years.

“Showcase Cinemas’ sponsorship is the catalyst for bringing back the fireworks this year," Hingham Lions Club President Mark Casale told the Hingham Anchor. "I'm delighted about this new partnership."

Given the event’s importance to the local community, Showcase Cinemas decided to step in as premiere sponsor of the fireworks to supplement existing funds and ensure the community once again has the opportunity to watch Hingham Harbor sparkle under the display as part of local Fourth of July celebrations.

“Community involvement is extremely important to us at Showcase Cinemas, and we are thrilled to become part of the fabric of the South Shore with the opening of our newest cinema location at Hanover Crossing this fall,” Mark Malinowski, VP of Global Marketing for Showcase Cinemas, said.  “At our heart, we are an entertainment company, and we couldn’t be more proud to work with the Lions Club of Hingham to bring this community celebration and tremendous entertainment opportunity back to Hingham and to ensure that the 2022 Hingham Harborworks fireworks display will once again light up the sky and be bigger and better than ever."

As the host of the Hingham fireworks with the support of the community for 25 consecutive years -- from 1993 to 2018 -- the Lions Club is "extremely appreciative of the support from the community and Showcase Cinemas to bring this cherished Fourth of July tradition back to Hingham Harbor,” Casale said. “We know how important this event is to the community, and we look forward to celebrating with everyone on July 1.”

The 2019, 2020, and 2021 fireworks were cancelled due to a lack of volunteers and funding and most recently, the pandemic. "The COVID restrictions associated with outdoor activities weren't lifted until May 2021, and that didn't give us enough lead time to plan for [such a big] event," Casale said.

The wonderful news is that the fireworks are back! "The goal is to make this the best fireworks display that Hingham has ever had!" Malinowski said.

Casale also expressed appreciation for the efforts of the ad hoc Harborworks committee, made up of volunteers.

The town's Independence Day fireworks hark back to Civil War days, according to a history of the Hingham Fourth of July Parade by Dr. A. Alden Carpenter, a longtime Hingham resident who played the role of Uncle Sam for many years.

At that time, the holiday was celebrated with bonfires, fireworks, and ringing bells, but no formal parades.

In 1891, there were several fireworks displays set off by individuals. During the war years of 1941 to 1945, there were no scheduled fireworks.

Much to the delight of the residents of Hingham and surrounding communities, there have been annual fireworks displays for many years, with a few exceptions.

Thanks to the leadership of then-Lions Club leaders Bonnard Fage and Richard Lamb, the Club started sponsoring the display in 1993. "They were the driving force," Casale said.

This year's Harborworks fireworks will feature music, food vendors, a booth featuring news about the new theater, and much more.

As a fan of the Hingham fireworks since he lived in Hingham from 2009-2014, Malinowski enjoyed attending the display -- which attracts hundreds if not thousands of spectators from near and far -- with his partner, the late Randy Pipkin.

"It’s an amazing community event. I have nothing but amazing memories of the fireworks," he said. “Now that we're a partner, we want to make the celebration great, too, and bring some added fun. I'm super-excited about it. Hingham loves the Fourth of July, and people come from everywhere to enjoy the fireworks. It's a beloved event, and Showcase Cinemas is glad to be a part of bringing the fireworks back."

Showcase Cinema de Lux Hanover Crossing is slated to open in the Fall of 2022 as part of the Hanover Crossing mixed-use development. The cinema will offer eight auditoriums, including an XPlus Laser Premium Large Format auditorium with laser projection, Dolby Atmos™ immersive sound, power recliners, and a huge screen.

This will be a "super-state-of-the-art cinema, featuring the latest and greatest in movie-going, with a beautiful bar in the lobby," Malinowski said. "It will be a nice option that we don't have on the South Shore right now, servicing the closely-knit communities of Hanover, Hingham, Scituate, Norwell, [and beyond]. This is a great way to introduce ourselves to the community and to bring another form of entertainment -- the fireworks -- back."

Malinowski, a South Shore resident, is looking forward to enjoying a movie at the new cinema himself when it opens.

The cinema will offer the popular Starpass loyalty program, through which members earn 10 percent on virtually all purchases and receive a $5 voucher with every $50 spent.

Children and families can also join the Showcase Popcorn Club, offering special perks including an official Popcorn Club membership card preloaded with a free movie ticket, a free 1-2-3 Go Box, an exclusive Popcorn Club backpack, and a free birthday movie ticket, plus more.

The Lions Club of Hingham is a service organization that is part of a global network of volunteers working together to make a difference worldwide as well as locally -- including the annual Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast, hosted in cooperation with the Kiwanis Club for many years -- coat collections, food drives, and art contests in Hingham schools. On an international level, the Club has taken part in a number of efforts, including disaster relief efforts and fundraising for eye research.

For more information about Showcase Cinemas, visit www.showcasecinemas.com.

For more information about the Hingham Harborworks, you can follow on Facebook and Instagram!

To help ensure this community tradition can continue for many years to come, please consider making a donation to the Hingham Harborworks here.