I think that the Jaycee's should hold all of their 4th of July shows there. You have very few trees, and ample parking. I have been to many shows at Traxler and, to me, there is only one spot where you can get a pretty good view of all of the fireworks, but at the Youth Sport's Complex, there is not a bad seat in the house. No matter where you parked or sat, you had a great view of everything. Way to go Jaycee's!

I think most people fail to realize what a gigantic mess that fireworks leave behind. You have to have a huge, open area to shoot them off from so that the remains that are falling have someplace to land, be extinguished and then later be collected. We did about a 6 minute show for a special event a couple of years ago. It took 4 of us two hours to clean up what fell to the ground. I can't even imagine how much of a mess an hour show leaves behind! This is what makes the complex wide-open area such an ideal place for something like this... Hence, why you cannot shoot them off in the middle of a city area.

ladystardust are you serious? The building shouldn't have hampered your view since the park where they shot of the fireworks is north east of the building so, the building wasn't even a factor if you were looking in the right direction. Second you should have packed the little ones up and taken them over to the complex. Third the Bliss building is a private business and I'm sure no taxpayer dollars were used to build it. Fourth lighting off fireworks from the top of a building not a real smart idea. I don't think the fire marshal would allow that. Good job Jaycees on the fireworks display and making the event pretty successful under the circumstances.

ladystardust: were you sitting by the entrance to urgent care at Mercy East? Did you not realize you were sitting behind a 3-story building? I'm guessing that the taxpayers probably spent about the same amount of money on the new bliss building as they did on the trailer you must live in. Care to enlighten us on how the fireworks location and that new building are related? Do you even live in town? Just when think some posts hit a moronic rock bottom, you find one that's there and digging...

Fireworks back to Traxler Park on the mighty Rock River.

First off, these were the best, fireworks ever in Janesville! Thanks Jaycees!
Secondly the site was perfect, the area offered large, unobstructed, views and plenty of parking. The Police did an excellent job of keeping traffic moving eventhough 14 was closed.

I tried to view the fireworks from Mercy East by my sister's house. We could barely see anything except the highest fireworks. I wanted to get closer but people were coming back saying the traffic is just too crazy and with two little ones I didn't want to take the chance to watch a 39 minute firework display and then wait three hours just to get home. By the way how much money did us taxpayers spend on the new bliss building? And what is going on with the old building? Why don't we light the fireworks off the top of parker dr's gazette building. then every one can see them, well except the wuthering hills clan. but they can drive their hummers downtown for once.
Traxler next year!!!

I would urge everyone to contact the Jaycees (via phone/person you know) to get a nice website together of all of their activities/events and put a Paypal "Donate Here' button on the front page of the site (tax deductible, just print the receipt that you would get). It would be a great easy way to get cash flow coming in all year long for their events...!! Good job, again, Jaycees! :-)

I realize the Sports Complex gig was thrown together with less opportunity for planning, however the toilet facilities were very lacking without a long walk. Considering the number of people that sat near the ball diamonds to view the fireworks, there probably should have been some porta-potties over that way.

For those of you complaining about behavior, not to defend it, but manners are in the hole anywhere you go whether it's Janesville, Madison, or Orlando FL. It just seems people don't care anymore about manners. OOOPS, did I just show my age?

Best show I've ever seen. Yes, it was a little slow at times, but the finale made up for everything. The parking was easy and will only be better next year when the construction near the area is complete. The view was great. I sure hope they decide to keep it at the same location for next year.

MY2CENTS:

You are right. It isn't the 1960s anymore. Those kids would be lighting M80s if it were the 60s. Now those are outlawed.

I think with better planning, communication, and less road construction it was a great venue to have the celebration. I feel that yes the fireworks dragged on, maybe they need the band to keep playing like at traxler. I also noticed that oner of the semi tractors license plate showed a 2006 sticker. if they cannot afford to license there equipment how can they afford to maintain it????

The rides looked terribly unsafe. Maybe next year the Jaycees can get less death-trap looking rides.

How and where do you donate money to the Jaycees?

Aside from the ending the show it self would of been better suited for a retirement home... Perhaps if next time they didn't do it from behind the gazette building, and hired people to route traffic, who arnt JPD officers, things would go more smoothly. I'm sure the wuthering hills folks wern't thrilled however. Any increased vandalism in your safe haven that night?

However for the first last minute run it went well. Just not the same spirit as traxler though...

Great show! Best I ever saw in Janesville!

The Janesville fireworks never looked so good. The high land gives a great view to thousands of people. If the show goes back downtown, at least shoot them off from the high land near Mercy.

The finale was among the best I've seen in a long time. The rest of the show could have been done in half the time. A 30 to 40 minute show, with the same amount of fireworks, would have been perfect.

MY2CENTS: Hey, your little kid left his "blown-off hand" in my front yard. Call me to identify it. (Kids should not be encouraged to use illegal fireworks!)

Return it to the center of town next year, Traxler.

I am not sure what to think about the band tonight. I could hear them from my house and it was sort of like having a loud bar a couple of blocks away. The only thing I can say for sure is that their drummer must have been whacking a cowbell all night...every song was accompanied by a relentless donk...donk...donk...donk.
I think they just stopped at 11:00. It wasn't bad, just diferent for the East side, we don't have any loud bars out here.

Positive, We were much more comfortable watching the fireworks this year. A lot more room and all of the fireworks were visible no matter where you sat. At Traxler the fireworks are hidden by many trees and other obstructions. It is hard to find a good place to sit where there is visibility. For the parking situation, we walked down Ruger from a side street one block West of Wright Rd. It was a little bit of a walk but at the end, we walked to our vehicle much faster than the cars were moving. We were then able to drive right home with no jam.

Negative, The Janesville fireworks are always set off the same way, one at a time. They are very long because they are set off sooo slowly. It is hard to sit through red one............... Green one............... Boom.......... sparkly one.............
Almost an hour later, wow great finale. It would be much more enjoyable if they were set off a little quicker with some overlap. They would be shorter but more entertaining.
We will continue to go every year no matter what they look like, how they are set off or where they are, to support our community and the Jaycees.

Great show this year! Could be seen from lots of places, we watched from a parking lot on Case drive. Didn't have to go to the crowded park.

I have to say that while I am generally satisfied with the Janesville fireworks, they have always gone on too long. There are only so many different ways to do a firework and you generally have seen them all several times before you get to the finale. If there weren't a finale to wait for I'd be well out of there.
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Another negative was the traffic flow out of the park. We were stuck facing north on Wuthering Hills waiting for permission to turn left on Enterprise. Some people went north to get into line for Ruger, but the rest of us had little choice. This made a lot of people turn around or turn south out of parking lots, and by the time we got to the Racine/Wright intersection there was a long line of vehicles making their way through the Racine construction zone. I assume the contractor will have to do some cleanup because of that. But for many people it was the only way out. (Of course, if they do it out there again another year, Racine probably won't be under construction!) I recognize how quickly this alternate location was pulled together and except for the wait it went well.
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Did not go to the carnival, but if the Jaycees are scaling it back to something that they can manage in terms of people and money, that's better than losing a ton year after year.

Not sure what fireworks you were watching. Not to many displays I have seen that lasted over an hour long. And the grand finale was awesome!!

I'm sorry but the fireworks sucked. There were so many pauses between shoots that we got bored fast. They were barely above tree level, and parking was a nightmare! We parked along Townline road and watched the rest of they Beloit fireworks, and it's sad to say that the ones from Beloit 10 miles away were a LOT better than the ones in Janesville 1/2 mile away.

Hats off to Janesville and the Jaycees for making this years Celebration a very memorable one for me and my family. The kids had plenty to do and it was just a very enjoyable day. We will be going back today for more food and fun. Keep it at the complex it's much more spread out and you could actually expand it in the future. The fireworks were the best I have ever seen in Janesville and I've lived here for thirty nine years. Keep it up!!!

I loved the whole celebration at the Sports Complex. Room to park, room to roam, not as much traffic boggles, room to expand and make it better in the future... and a wonderful large, large area to view the fireworks from about a million spots. We parked along Cty Rd MM right off of Hwy 14 and had the BEST view of the fireworks! As we came home we noticed people coming off from all kind of side and county roads. It was really nice. My vote keeps the celebration at the Sports Complex! I hope that it's an option for the years to come.

10 times better this year. We had a blast and then some. Lots more room. And the best firework show I have ever seen in Janesville. The grand fin was awsome. It seem like it lasted for 1/2 hour. Great job Janesville.
And for all the people living in the area that are complaning about rude behavior and kids on bike swearing, these are kids from your neighborhood. And whats the problem with an adult showing kids how to light fireworks? At least their supervised when doing it. People worry about the stupid things in life and look at all the bad things just so they have something to complain about. Times have changed, its not the 1960's anymore. Relax and have a good time and quit worring about everything else that other people do. Just cause you see something wrong with it doesn't meen the next person does.
And thats MY2CENTS

I live within walking distance this year, so I didn't have to contend with traffic.

I think I may never go see them again, though. I've never seen so much bad human behaviour in 1-1/2 hours in my life. 2 Kids on bikes almost got hit for trying to pull stunts at the interesection. Adults yelled at them and they swore back. People yelling at each other or other cars because they didn't feel people were moving fast enough, people parking in no parking zones. Literally, every other address on my street were shooting off illegal fireworks. I saw kids about 8 years old being taught how to shoot them off. Families on bicycles with no lights trying to get home in the midst of traffic. A couple guys yelled across the road to friends a very nasty thing in the full earshot of a hundred kids sitting there. Parents telling their kids to go to the bathroom in local businesses trees and bushes. The same for dogs. Pathetic.

It's so much bigger of an area than Traxler. I haven't been to the Janesville fireworks in 10 years. I usually go to the Milton fireworks. But, since the gas prices are so high I decided to stay in Janesville. Boy was I impressed. The traffic was a little rough with all the construction but, we got through it. I won't be going to Milton again.

I'LL BET ALL OF YOU THAT ARE IN FAVOR OF HAVING THE FIREWORKS AT SPORTS COMPLEX LIVE IN THAT AREA AND DONT HAVE TO DRIVE!

SUGGESTION FOR NEXT YEAR BECAUSE OF THE PARKING. WHY DONT THEY HAVE SHUTTLES LIKE FROM PALMER PARK AND/OR HIGH SCHOOL? WOULD ALLEVIATE THE PARKING AT COMPLEX. THEY DO THIS FOR THE FAIR FROM CRESTON PARK TO FAIR GROUNDS

This years fireworks were unbelievable. Way better than last years. It's not hard to get out of there you just take Enterprise road and it takes you right out to Wright road. Nicely done Jaycees!!!

Much better at the new location. More room and the display was awesome. They should have it here each year. It provides a great venue. Much better than on the river. Well done Jaycees you hit a home run this year.

Yes! The display was incredible this year. The traffic issue will go away next year as the road construction will be finished. I'm surprised that the Optimists didn't capitalize on a parking opportunity fund raiser in the park on Ruger/Wuthering Hills. That could have alleviated some parking issues. The wide open flat area for launching/watching a fireworks display is unmatched. Another plus- there is a lot less light pollution out at the complex than downtown. Thanks for the GREAT show Jaycees!

Who paid for those fireworks this year? How much did that display cost?

We had the most awesome view of the show this year from our front lawn. Many people came up to our area and watched in their cars. I don't like crowds so I really liked it this year, altho I am sure some people prefer the park to have them shown. I guess no matter where they have the show, they are always going to have people who can't access the place, don't want to access the place, or can't see it from their house. The show was AWESOME this year however.

We enjoyed the fireworks. We watched them from the Lear Seating parking lot. We have not watched them for many years, since my husband has worked for Lear more than 17 years we are usually gone on vacaction at this time (mostly in northern WI) With his job in jeaporty we had to stay home this summer. I must say that it was nice to sit in our car and watch the fireworks. It is the nicest thing Lear has done in the 17 years he has been there, no one bothered the people parking there. It was however bad to see all the people leaving their trash behind as we left. What they took in they should have taken out.

I enjoyed the fireworks at the new location. Much more room and less obstructed. I think having them on higher ground makes them easier to see for everyone.

Fantastic show from my house. All of my neighbors are out also, sitting in their lawnchairs or walking around. It's good for the neighborhood! Thanks Jaycees. Maybe you can alternate...one year at Traxler and one year at the Sports Complex.

Can't see the fireworks from my windows this year. I vote for Traxler.

We wish the best of luck to the JAYCEE"S and hope this year is a bigger success than ever before. However, Traffic will be a problem as there is road construction all over town and its like driving in a maze. The streets will be narrower due to all the cars parked in the surrounding area so be careful of pedestrians. We are very concerned about how the disabled will be able to get there? If it goes as usual there will be 7 designated parking spots somewhere in the farthest corner from the event and four of them will be filled with vehicles that have no disabilities tags. In a way its a good thing. If we have to relocate to view the fireworks it only makes sense to go where we can get more BANG for the buck. This year we start a NEW tradition, we go to other towns for the fourth and feed thier economy for a day.

Well I hope I can see it from my house. Yesterday it started and already sirens where there. I haven't been there on the grounds for a long time mainly because of the drunks there! A drunk man shot a bottle rocket into a group of kids on ground four years ago, usually we watch from our boat but can't this year so like I said I hope I can see from my house if not I bought fountains and sparklers for the kid at least I know they will be safe!

Just go to Milton, they have better fireworks every year anyway

Actually you can turn right and take a side street that leads you to Wright road.

How can u say it is easier to get in and out of???? Hello!! Racine street is closed because of contruction from the motor vehicle dept to Hwy 14. That means when u come out of complex u HAVE TOturn left!
Dont see how they can accomidate all the people from over by traxler park. There u hve the bridge to stand on as well ass going up by the hospital (we live across from the hospital. and sit there for the fireworks) There are also alot of places in the downtown area where people sit to watch the traxler fireworks

I vote yes especially this year with the mosquito population. Other than that we have nothing to compare it to. We can give it a try-higher ground.

I'm looking forward to it. I should be able to watch the fireworks from my house. I've never gone to Traxler, and I'm not going to the Sports Complex. Too many people...and I don't like crowds. I do, however, hope it goes over well and the Jaycees make out OK.

Much better. More room to roam. Easy to get to and easy to get out.

How can one comapre yet? it hasn't even been open for more than a hour yet. Besides where the heck else could it be this year after all Traxler is under water!

Hopefully this year it will be successful and be able to pay for itself. I just don't understand how all of the so called "small towns" can put on wonderful 4th events parades, carnivals, tractor pulls and all, and make money at it (or at least break even) yet Janesville who is suposed to be a good size city sure can't.
Also why don't we have a 4th parade like Shoppier or Milton or heck little old town of Sharon where the parade is a huge event. Seems to me we are missing the float ( I mean boat lol) on not having our own parade.

It makes no difference to me; it's nothing but a huge drunk. So I don't go. I haven't gone for probably at least 9 years.