KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – The city wrapped up its centennial celebration with a massive fireworks display over Lake Geneva on New Year’s Eve, and it concluded a year-long schedule of events that required meticulous planning. 

“The majority of the work done, believe it or not, is me sitting in front of my computer, in my office, scratching my head, and planning a show,” said Northeast Florida Pyrotechnics President Ryan Allen. “I knew the theme. It’s the 100th anniversary. Now I needed to come up with the effects. Believe it or not, that’s the hardest part.” 

Weeks of planning culminated in what residents said was the most spectacular show ever to light the skies over the Lake Region. 

The show was made possible by The Friends of Keystone Heights. The group spared no expense to mark the milestone in the city’s history. 

The Centennial Celebration included a Gala on Dec. 28, 2024, a community event on March 29 at the Keystone Heights Airport, a Roaring 20s Speakeasy Centennial Celebration on June 21 at the Keystone Heights Woman’s Club, and the Kiwanis Christmas Parade and Market and Centennial Wonderland on Dec. 13. 

The New Year’s Eve event was the grand finale. It started with a Time Capsule ceremony at the Theme Park near City Hall. 

The capsule contained a calendar, a T-shirt, a coin, a letter from Mayor Nina Rodenroth, the city’s strategic plan, photos, a newspaper, a centennial timeline flyer, the mayor’s ball tickets and program, a gala program and a spring fling program. 

“The time capsule holds more than just objects. It holds our hopes,” Rodenroth said. “We hope you can see that we cared for one another, that we worked to protect our environment and that we strived to make our city a place everyone could dream freely and live with dignity.” 

Although the first firework wasn’t scheduled for 8 p.m., Allen faced two challenges earlier in the day. 

First, the show’s theme was set to live music from Second Chance. Allen learned the night before the show that the band had cancelled due to a forecast of mid-30s temperatures. And after packing a pontoon boat with 360 firework mortars in the morning, he returned at midday to find one of the pontoons underwater. 

“We took it out of the water; we drained it, and it had a crack about a quarter of an inch wide or a quarter inch long,” Allen said. “Fortunately, I had an air compressor on my truck. We pressurized the hole where the drain plug is to find it. We took a soapy rag, just soap, and rubbed it on, and found it.” 

The pyrotechnics team found the crack and applied some J-B Weld to fix it. The metal pontoon was inflated and taken 400 feet from the shoreline, as required by law, and anchored before sunset. 

Since his company is based in Green Cove Springs, Allen said he had another pontoon boat a half-hour away if needed. 

The Friends of Keystone Heights booked Gonzo to replace Second Chance, and Allen easily adapted his show’s theme. 

“I wanted to do something wildly different, and it was definitely different," Allen said. "For this one, and the same for the Green Cove Springs celebration, I used what's called a willow. They hang in the air longer, and it lights up the sky. They hang in the air, and they almost make it to the ground. Just think about it like a weeping willow, like a tree.” 

Residents came bundled in blankets and heavy coats. They sipped hot cocoa, and ate hot dogs prepared by the Lake Region Rotary Club and other fares from Food Trucks. 

With 100 years in the books, Keystone Heights believes it has set a lofty standard for the 200-year celebration.