ROCKPORT — So what if it was a few degrees above zero. So what that the harbor was partially iced over, and this was the first time ever (or in anyone’s memory) that fireworks were going to blast off above Rockport Harbor. Enthusiasm ran high, and the ranks of volunteers magically filled for the third annual Holiday on the Harbor Dec. 14. While music was spilling out of the Rockport Opera House, down on the harbor, Brad Scott’s barge was maneuvered into place and Harbormaster Abbie Leonard was transporting four men and many boxes out to it.

The fireworks over the harbor was a homegrown effort, just as the entire Holiday on the Harbor was. Leonard and Rockport’s public works crew, especially with the help of Mike Young, got Marine Park ready. A new Christmas tree had been planted almost a month ago by Young, and by Saturday night, it was decorated with lobster buoys. Leonard hauled a firepit next to the tree, and a trio of volunteers fed a blaze that kept children and adults warm throughout the evening.

A table with hot chocolate and homemade cookies and cupcakes appeared, and as dusk settled in, a crowd moved to the harbor, coming down the stairs and across the footbridge, some from the Rockport Opera House, where they had been listening to gospel music, some from shopping in Rockport’s open stores, and still others from Union Hall, where Santa had been holding court with children.

All along Pascal Avenue from Hoboken Gardens to the Goose River Bridge and Central Street, more than 1,000 luminaries had been set and lit by a host of volunteers, including the Coast Guard, and ably coordinated by Karen Brace. The Holiday on the Harbor was organized by a loose committee of Rockport business people and town employees with one predominant goal, to bring people to Rockport to celebrate the season, informally and with a lot of heart.

All afternoon, events were under way in various parts of Rockport Village, but by evening the action was at the harbor. Leonard had decorated some of the lobster boats with lights, and they rested cheerfully at their moorings. As more and more people congregated, a man with a guitar got the singing started around the Christmas tree. At 5 p.m., the tree suddenly came alive with lights, and right after that, the biggest show of the night began with a rocket searing into the sky followed by a loud boom!

The fireworks came courtesy of local businesses and residents, including generous a donation from Charlton Ames, who transported the boxes to the Harbormaster’s building.

Donald Heald IV, who has worked with a fireworks company, coordinated the show, with the help of Dallas Fields, Scott Crockett and Jeff Boston. Brad Scott lent his barge to the occasion, tying it up on a mooring in the inner harbor. A quick visit to the barge at 4:30 p.m. by Leonard, bearing cups of coffee and cookies, indicated that all was in place and the guys were ready to stage a show that Heald rated — on a scale of 1 to 10 — as a 10-plus.

There was no disputing that. As fireworks exploded over the harbor, lighting the sky and illuminating the water, onlookers clapped and yelled encouragement to the fireworks crew. The sky was clear, with just a hint of the storm to come on the western horizon. Bundled in coats and hats and mittens, people gazed at the show for more than 20 minutes from all vantage points in the Village. A few boys wrestled on the ground.

“From what I’ve heard and seen on email, the event was pretty amazing,” said Town Manager Rick Bates, on Monday morning and back in the office. “Residents feel excited by what is going on in Rockport. The day went better than anticipated. The concert was standing room only and Shepherd’s Pie and Salt Water Farm were packed. I think we have the formations of a downtown village business group, and are looking forward to the future.”

The Holiday on the Harbor committee and involved citizens included Debbie Chatfield, Jason Haynes, Peter Ralston, Monica Kelly, Abbie Leonard, Karen Brace, Mike Young. Others pitching in included Rockport Public Library, Mike Sabatini, Rockport Properties, Betsy Henshaw and Santa Claus. In the end, it was the community working for itself, and it was home.

Editorial Director Lynda Clancy can be reached at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657.