Two Harbors City Administrator Lee Klein confirmed there was a problem with the July 4 fireworks at Agate Bay.
Klein told the City Council this week that the fireworks company, Premier Pyrotechnics, reported it had a "new shooter" who did not "follow sequences and shot off a bunch at the same time," Klein said.
He said all of the shells planned for the show were delivered and the problem was with the person firing them.
Premier's area representative, Tony Ramberg, did not return phone calls seeking explanation.
Klein said Premier has offered a $1,000 rebate for next year's show after what became a much shorter show than expected. It isn't clear how long the show was supposed to last, but several witnesses said the fireworks July 4 went just 10 minutes, with a barrage of fireworks in the beginning and then what appeared to be the finale. Typical fireworks shows go for about 20 minutes.
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"It was let-it-rip," council member John Dover said.
The City Council approved a three-year contract with Premier last fall, meaning it would be the fireworks provider through 2012 at $4,000 plus tax each year.
Two Harbors Fire Chief Mark Schlangen said there was no indication by the firing crew that anything was wrong and there was no public safety issue.
City Council members took no formal action, saying they still got a nice show even though it was truncated.
Mayor Randy Bolen had hoped Premier would come back and make up for the show at Heritage Days this past weekend. It didn't.
Council member Mary Henjum Rosati said many cities had no displays at all because of budget limitations. "At least we had fireworks," she said.
The Lake County Fair also uses Premier.
