PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
KAUKAUNA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An international fireworks convention is returning to Kaukauna next year.
The Pyrotechnics Guild International Convention has announced its host city for its annual convention on its website.
For years, PGI held its convention at the Wisconsin International Raceway in the town of Buchanan. The week-long expo included fireworks displays that ran late into the night.
It hit a snag in 2022, which caused it to move to the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh. That snag included hundreds of noise complaints from residents in Buchanan and Kaukauna, such as:
Fireworks after 1 a.m. way too late – small children up crying all night from the noise. Doesn’t the Town of Buchanan have any respect for its residents and neighboring communities?
Another complaint threatened:
If PGI is allowed to do a show like this ever again at WIR there will be a lawsuit.
Despite those complaints and a public forum in November 2022, PGI was ultimately allowed to have its expo at WIR, but they declined.
“I think there was some more problems between Buchanan and Appleton, and in the end, we decided that those problems we didn’t want to continue to muck around with, and we continued to Oshkosh,” said Connie Widmann, media chair with PGI.
Now, PGI is set to return in 2026.
“That is our goal, is to go to WIR,” said Widmann. “It was announced at our convention, and everyone was excited to return to the Kaukauna area.”
In years past, the city of Kaukauna provided traffic support during the expo, and will do so again next year — but not just for the fireworks, according to Mayor Tony Penterman.
“It brings a lot of economic impact to the city. These people are going to our grocery stores, going to our gas stations, staying at our hotels, renting Air BnBs. So it’s really good economic impact for the city of Kaukauna,” he said.
The return doesn’t come without the usual concerns.
“We get a lot of complaints because right behind the drag strip is a residential neighborhood that has just grown exponentially in the past 4-5 years,” said Penterman. “When new residents move in and they hear either the Jet Dragsters or fireworks, they get excited.”
The town of Buchanan said PGI has yet to submit permits for the expo, but declined to comment further.
The event will be held Aug. 8-14, 2026, although the website did not cite the specific location.
It’s described as a full week of entertainment and education, with nightly fireworks shooting and displays. Hundreds of people gather from all across the country to spend time with other pyrotechnic enthusiasts, learn from expert professionals and hobbyists, purchase supplies and share their creativity.
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