Yep, it's that time of year again when the 4th of July Fireworks in Vancouver, WA divide Clark County between those who like them and those who don't.
First of all, the annual fireworks show from Fort Vancouver is one of the signature events of Vancouver, WA and was started back in 1963 and had been an annual event until last year, when it was cancelled for economic reasons.
The production costs for 2008 was $450,000 with $120,000 going towards the fireworks, $30,000 on security and $25,000 for liability insurance. Admission was free and supposedly 60,000 people attended. Most of this information comes from various semi-reliable sources, so I certainly hope that it is correct.
Now this year, thanks to the Fort Vancouver National Trust and some corporate sponsers, it's been resurrected so we can all enjoy it again. However, this year there will be an admission for everyone 13 years and older. That should help offset the costs and hopefully it will continue into the distant future.
It really is quite an awesome display of firepower. One year I watched it from a boat on the Columbia River and actually got a sore neck fom looking straight up for so long.
Now here is the other side to the holiday and controlled fireworks show. It's the sale of fireworks to the general population, starting on June 28th. That's the first day they can be sold, but you can't blow them off until July 1st. Now how many of those eager young folks who bought them on the 28th want to just look at them for 2 days and not be tempted to light one up? As a matter of fact, I've been starting to hear them for the last 2 days, and it will get louder every night, until about July 10th, when it finally peters out.
So every year we have this huge debate in Vancouver, WA concerning whether they should be legal or not. Most of the people who don't want them complain about three main problems.
First, the general noise that lasts long into the night and interferes with their sleep. This also contributes to the disappearance of cats and dogs who go running off into the night terrified and howling, some never to be seen again.
Secondly, the mess it makes. After the fourth, drive around any neighborhood and you will see the mounds of empty fireworks casings just piled up and left there; and if you live in a cu-de-sac you need a shovel and trash bin to scoop them all up.
Thirdly it is the potential danger from the sparks of these weapons of minor destruction. Lots of folks are worried about their roofs, which are often covered with dry moss. Remember, thats what the cave men used to start their fires.
And this year we have a double whammy. Foreclosed empty houses with lots of dry grass growing around them. Since it hasn't stopped raining since holloween, the grass is particularly long. And now the forecast is dry weather until after the fourth, so we have the perfect storm for houses in every neighborhood going up in flames, keeping those sirens going all night. Mixed with the sounds of the fireworks going off until 4 am, it's a real Norman Rockwell moment unfolding.
So whether you like it or not, it's about to get noisy. But it is a celebration of our independance, and that certainly is worth celebrating. If you don't like it, water your lawn heavily and leave town. If you do like it, remember, it's the noisiest place west of the Mississippi.
And now the commercial:
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Contact Don humphrey with Coldwell Banker
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