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Hylant Group Helps to Keep Fort Wayne Fireworks Tradition Alive

FORT WAYNE, Indiana - June 19, 2004 - The tradition of the fireworks finale for the Three Rivers Festival will continue this year with new sponsors, company and location, but with a smaller display than previous festivals.

Kathleen Alter, executive director of the Three Rivers Festival, announced Friday that the fireworks will be shot off of the One Summit Square building at 9:30 p.m. July 18, the last day of the festival.

In previous years, the fireworks display took place from the top of the National City Bank building. In February, National City Bank board members announced they would not sponsor the fireworks this year. Alter said it was not an easy decision for the bank board to make, but the bank is still a big part of Three Rivers Festival through its sponsorship of Children's Fest.

The fireworks display has two new sponsors - Hylant Group, an insurance company, and American Senior Communities, which includes Heritage Park, Covington Commons and Bethlehem Woods.

"I believe we have to be a part of community events," said Kevin Brennan, president of the Hylant Group, which has been in the Fort Wayne area since 2000. Brennan found out that the Three Rivers Festival was in need of sponsors for the fireworks through a friend at American Senior Communities. Brennan said he saw this as a great cause to help the community. "I believe Three Rivers needed us," he said.

This year's fireworks will be presented by Pyrotecnico, a New Castle, Pa.-based company with a division in Fort Wayne.

The cost of the fireworks will be $25,000, and they will last for about 20 minutes, Alter said. This year's show will be smaller than last year's display, Alter said. She explained that the fireworks shells are smaller, resulting in a smaller explosion. However, she said, there will be more shells than in past years, giving festival-goers more variety.

Alter said it was difficult to find a sponsor and location because of several changes that have been made to the state fireworks regulations in terms of safety and security. Meeting the regulations has been costly for the festival committee in terms of finding a new location and ensuring security.

Alter said the festival board members knew that the tradition of fireworks had to continue. The committee knew it would take a lot of planning and time, but the fireworks display is a big part of the festival and very important to the people in the community, she said.

Hylant Group, founded in 1935, is a privately held insurance agency offering complete risk management services, financial services, asset management, health care management and employee benefits for businesses and individuals around the world. Hylant Group is ranked 26th in size out of more than 15,000 insurance agencies nationwide.