As of right now, the weather for 10pm on July 4th is looking favorable for a safe and successful show. See you all tonight!
As of right now, the weather for 10pm on July 4th is looking favorable for a safe and successful show. See you all tonight!
Want to know the nitty-gritty, eh? You must be part pyro! Welcome to behind the scenes…
Our displays might only last 15-20 minutes, but they take several months to prepare. In the sections to come, we’ll cover a summary of what goes on for every display.
All hands on deck! There is a variety of tasks our volunteers need to accomplish. We have volunteers who gather permits, design the show, repair equipment, setup the display, and collect donations. Let’s discuss each one of these roles now.
The Hood River Fireworks display is 100% community funded. This means we do not receive any financial support from city, county, or state governments.
Therefore, gathering donations is one of our largest tasks that has to begin well in advance. We send out paper mail, email, and social media posts to generate awareness and to prospect for donations.
As as 501c(3) non-profit, donors receive a fully tax deductible write-off when they contribute to our display. If you donate by mail, you receive a summary of your donation for your records. If you donate online, your receipt will be automatically sent to you.
We have a low cost overhead, too! Roughly 92% of all donations go directly into purchasing fireworks and day-of supplies. The rest of our expenses include website costs, accounting software, email marketing tools, and postages!
It is important that our setup day goes smoothly, so this means we must prepare in advance. This includes getting a lot of permits (11 to be exact). They are required for both the parade, the fireworks display, and for storage of the fireworks. Most of these permits involve approval by the city, Port of Hood River, police departments, and fire departments.
While gathering permits, the fireworks show is designed and each shell is numbered corresponding to its firing sequence (this number varies based on donations). Once the design is finalized, we place our order with our fireworks vendor.
Cascade locks has always raised the water level for the display as well, and still does to this day! There is usually a fly-over by WAAAM and in the past, a fly over by the U.S. Air Force (scheduled with Washington D.C.)
In June, volunteers review the health of our equipment and inventory supplies. This usually includes racks, tubes, scissors, tape, tin foil, and rubber bands. The most important piece of equipment we check is our control board and firing racks (which hold our firing tubes). Parade Registration is also open during this time.
When we arrive on site July 4th, We unload our fireworks from the truck which arrives that morning and we begin to sort them according to the design sheet. We look for special “shots” (fireworks) that require a unique placement within the show.
With everything accounted for, we begin loading the “shells” (fireworks) from front to back in ascending order as to avoid bending over anything loaded. We also have a sandbox (a trailer full of sand) which is used for boxes (smaller rapid firing shells). These boxes are buried in the sandbox with the top exposed.
With the shells loaded, and the boxes placed, our fuses are still un-wired. Before we wire them, volunteers must rubber band foil on top of the loaded tube and number the shell according to the design sheet. On average, we have about 370+ shells each show, but this is decreasing with the cost of supplies, tariffs, and decrease in donations (click here to donate). It’s important that we are accurate in numbering the right fireworks. The numbers on the tin foil represent the firing sequence and tell us where to wire them.
Once the fireworks are sorted, loaded, and numbered with tin foil, Fuse Boxes are then installed onto the sides of the racks and left unplugged. Fuse boxes are numbered, and will be connected to the corresponding firework number using a Squib.
A squib, is an electronic wire with 2 exposed wires on one end and a prosperous tip on the other. The 2 exposed wires connect to our fuse box using speaker spring clamps, while the prosperous tip is embedded into the tail end of the firework’s fuse. When an electronic signal is sent from the fuse box, current travels through the wire and ignites the prosperous tip in turn igniting our firework’s quick fuse remotely. Wiring these squibs requires the majority of the day.
Finally, once the fireworks are connected to the fuse box via a squib, the fuse boxes are then connected to our Control Panel and the team tests for continuity. Once the connections are verified and all shots are accounted for, it’s time to take a break and wait for show time.
On July 5th, our crew gets breakfast at Betty’s Place (as per tradition) then finishes cleaning up!
TLDR:
Fireworks are placed in a tube, which are mounted on a rack. A wire from our control board extends to a fuse box where a squib bridges the connection from the fuse box to the firework’s fuse. When an electronic signal is sent from the control board it is sent to the corresponding fuse for the corresponding firework number. Then boom! America.
From 1978-2022, the Eye Opener Lions Club was in charge of the Hood River Fireworks. They collected donations, maintained the equipment, designed the display, and put it all together. Every one of them was a volunteer.
Today, the Hood River Fireworks operates as a separate 501c(3) non-profit by some of the very same volunteers!
In the yesteryears, the largest shell fired off was 10″ in diameter. This was before electronic ignition systems were customary as they are today. Volunteers would bravely hand load and hand light 10″ shells. Once lit, there was not a lot of time to run. When you heard the bang, you turned around to prepare the next shell alternating with runners. This would go on for 45 min to 1 hr.
Have a photo of way back when?
The Hood River Fireworks display is more than just a celebration of our nation.
Here in Hood River, I find it’s also about coming together as a community to celebrate our home. It’s about the memories we create together at parade, having dinner with our friends and family, and the lives that we shape by providing a helping hand.
It’s also about the sacrifices that have been made previously to give us the freedoms we have today, and those we continue to improve upon. Together, we live and write history simultaneously.
By donating to the Hood River Fireworks display, you are renewing this spirit of the Columbia Gorge and of our nation. By donating, you are supporting local businesses, their employees, and sustaining an collaborative event we share together.
