Byhalia church reaches community with fireworks

For Troy Levin of Byhalia, the perfect Fourth of July involves meticulous staging, a remote transmitter, and a lifelong passion for big explosions.

Levin is the pyrotechnic mastermind behind the annual fireworks display at the Byhalia 4th of July Festival. While the event draws crowds from across the region, local organizers and church leadership consider Levin’s handiwork to be one of the premier Independence Day spectacles in the area.

The display serves as the grand finale for a festival that represents a deeper community mission. According to Pastor Leland Johnson, the annual gathering is designed as an outpouring of love for the local community and acts as a fundraiser with proceeds benefiting Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child.

“This festival is our way of opening our doors and showing the people of Byhalia that we love them,” Johnson said. “But it also has a global reach. Every hot dog sold and every car entered helps us send shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, and hope to children in need all over the world through Operation Christmas Child.”

While Johnson orchestrates the logistics of the festival, he leaves the high-flying choreography entirely to Levin. Johnson noted that Levin’s reputation draws a major crowd, calling the display one of the absolute best in the area.

“Troy is just fantastic at what he does,” Johnson added. “He puts on a show that rivals major cities, and we are blessed to have him volunteering his talents for this cause year after year. The crowd loves it, and frankly, so do I.”

For Levin, the feeling is mutual. “It’s just our pleasure to help serve the people and give them a good time,” Levin said.

Levin has been coordinating this specific type of close-up pyrotechnic display for about five years, though his personal infatuation with fireworks spans decades.

Crafting one of the area’s best shows requires strategic preparation. Levin stages the inventory ahead of time, organizing the layout into preliminary and final acts. He then maps the design into a remote transmitter to safely trigger the sequence. The lineup features threeinch shells and sixty-gram shots, the maximum allowed by the state for this capacity.

Depending on how the timeline shakes out, Levin can condense the show into a rapid-fire, 25-minute barrage or stretch the performance into a 40-minute production. Regardless of the duration, Levin promises an intimate experience that rivals massive, commercial setups.

“It’s up close and personal, better than any show that you’ve probably ever seen,” Levin said.

Though the thrill of the blast drives his passion, Levin emphasizes that safety remains the absolute key to execution. If unexpected hazards arise, Levin is fully prepared to fire the show electronically from the safety of his truck.

Ultimately, the pyrotechnician says the hard work pays off the moment the sky lights up. “It’s just fun, and the people like it,” Levin said. “I do stuff that people like.”

Along with the fireworks, the familyfriendly festival featured a Car, Jeep, and motorcycle show, family activities and concessions.