Wallingford's annual fireworks display gets underway at around 9;20 p.m. at Mark T. Sheehan High School on Hope Hill Road.

Before we get into the details about parking, I'd like to commend Councilman Jason Zandri for leading the fundraising effort so that the town can have a holiday weekend fireworks display again this year.

Fireworks were cut from the town's budget several years ago and Zandri, working at first with fellow Councilor Craig Fishbein and later on his own, convinced The Campus at Greenhill to become a presenting sponsor.

Now, on to the important details if you're planning to attend.

Public parking for this year's Wallingford fireworks will be available at Moran Middle School, Sheehan High School, Highland Elementary School, and in the paved parking lot of Our Lady of Fatima Church. Lt. Anthony DeMaio with the Wallingford Police Department's Traffic Division says parking in fire lanes, on sidewalks, or on the grass is prohibited. 

Parking is also prohibited along Hope Hill Road, according to DeMaio, as well as on some side streets where police are posting temporary "No Parking" signs. Police will shutdown Hope Hill to through traffic once parking at all of the school lots is taken or by 8:30 p.m., whichever comes first.

Because of the large crowds expected for the event, use of any type of fireworks, including sparklers is prohibited. So is the use of  alcoholic beverages on town property.

   

At the conclusion of the event, there will be two northbound lanes of traffic on Hope Hill Road from the northern most driveways of Sheehan High School and Moran Middle School to Route 68.  There will be two southbound lanes on Hope Hill Road from the southern most driveways of Sheehan High School and Moran Middle School to the intersection of Parker Farms Road. 

Less than an hour from now, the Cheshire Police Department will be setting up roadside sobriety checkpoints along state roads in town.

But even in the hours leading up to the the checkpoint, the department has been very visible. At about 2 p.m. this afternoon, I saw a department trick loaded down with traffic cones and all the other equipment needed to set up a checkpoint sitting on Cornwall Avenue, near the intersection with Main Street.

The department will be running sobriety checkpoints through 2 a.m. on Sunday, according to Lt. Brian Pichnarcik, who is the head of the department's traffic division.

Pichnarcik said in a statement that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when checkpoints are conducted. Cheshire officers will be enforcing seat belt, cellphone and other motor vehicle violations at the checkpoint in addition to looking for alcohol and drug-impaired drivers, he said.