Behind the Scenes of Wilmington's Fireworks [VIDEO]

You "ohhhh" and "ahhhh" as they light up the sky in honor of the Fourth of July. But have you ever wondered what it takes to put on a spectacular fireworks display?

In Wilmington, two firework displays mean plenty of man hours in advance to get ready for the show.

Tony Gentile and his crew, made up largely of fellow Newton residents, spent much of Saturday preparing plastic tubes and filling them with explosives along the football field.

Then on Saturday night, the group put on the first of Wilmington's two fireworks shows, firing off several hundred shells. But that is nothing compared to Tuesday night's 30-minute display that includes about 3,000 shells and tubes of explosives lined up for close to 100 feet.

And all while Gentile and his crew work, they are doing so under a watchful set of eyes. Wilmington Fire Lt. Dan Hurley has for about 12 years monitored the fireworks displays while he's joined at some point during the day by the State Fire Marshal.

While the town aims to put on a great display for its residents, the top priority always remains safety.