When the Sun Goes Down, We Shine!

New Castle, PA is home to Zambelli Fireworks Internationale, the largest and most famous fireworks company in the USA. The company started in 1893 when Antonio Zambelli chose the rolling hills surrounding New Castle because it reminded him of his hometown of Caserta, Italy where he had learned the artistry of fireworks.

The company was later run by his son George, Sr. who ran the company until his death in 2003. Today the company is run by the third and fourth generations of the family. They put on about 3,500 fireworks shows per year with about half of them occurring on the Fourth of July.

I picked up a wonderful book about the family titled, “Zambelli: The First Family of Fireworks.” It is chock full of pictures and a wonderful history of the family business. The company motto is “When the Sun Goes Down, We Shine!”

At one time dozens of companies in the fireworks business were located in New Castle, which billed itself the Fireworks Capital of the World, but today only Zambelli is still located there.