Diamond Sparkler to star on Discovery Channel

The film crew was at the plant for nearly 12 hours.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — The Discovery Channel is going to shed some light on the sparkler, a product that has a domestic factory in Youngstown.

A film crew from the channel’s popular series “How It’s Made” visited Diamond Sparkler Co.’s plant on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on Tuesday.

“How It’s Made” leads viewers through the process of making everyday products. Past topics have included apple juice, skateboards, engines and contact lenses. The show is narrated by Lynne Adams.

The sparkler episode will air in fall 2008, but the exact date has yet to be set.

Diamond Sparkler is owned and operated by Youngstown-based B.J. Alan Co./Phantom Fireworks.

“We are thrilled to be part of the Discovery Channel’s ‘How It’s Made’ series,” said William A. Weimer, vice president of B.J. Alan/Phantom. “We have a very unique product that all Americans love, so we are a perfect fit for the Discovery Channel.”

Crew’s visit

The sparkler plant usually is in a slowdown this time of year, but Diamond cranked up production for the benefit of the film crew.

The five-man crew was at the plant for almost 12 hours and documented the entire manufacturing process, from creating the mixture to wire-dipping, curing and packaging. About 26,000 sparklers were produced Tuesday just for the filming.

The fireworks company said Diamond Sparkler, the sole remaining sparkler manufacturer in the United States, produces up to 800,000 sparklers per day during peak Fourth of July season.

How it happened

Jerry Bosotcky, vice president of B.J. Alan/Phantom, said bringing the show to Youngstown was a collaborative effort.

“The Discovery Channel initiated contact with us nearly two years ago, but scheduling conflicts prevented us from moving ahead,” Bosotcky said. “Finally, in June, we re-established contact with them, and our schedules allowed us to plan a shoot.”

As viewers will find out, making sparklers is a multistep task.

First, the ingredients are mixed in 900-pound tanks, forming a cementlike mixture. Sparkler wires are loaded onto conveyor racks and dipped into the mixture. The dipped wires then travel through a 135-degree oven room. Finished sparklers are inspected twice, for safety and quality, before packaging.

The result is a piece of Americana.

“There aren’t many things more American than sparklers,” Bosotcky said. “They have been at the core of many American families’ Fourth of July traditions for generations.”

dastolfo@vindy.com