It appears the weather will be much more cooperative for this year’s fireworks festivities taking place July 3-4.
Temperatures are supposed to be in the 80s for Sunday’s concert at Lewis and Clark Festival Park with rising country star Dallas Smith. Last year, the thermometer hit 113 degrees, said festival organizer Nolan Hare.
The same full slate of activities is planned this year, with the addition of a cruise ship that is docking on Monday, July 4, in time for the 20-minute fireworks show which begins shortly after 10 p.m. July 4 and has been confirmed by the Oregon Festival and Events Association as the largest in Oregon, Hare said.
A slate of musical entertainment will be offered at the festival park on the evening of July 4 as well. The day starts with a fun run, community breakfast, community yoga, and a parade. Afternoon fun will be provided in the family funzone, featuring bouncy houses.
The fireworks, done by Western Display Fireworks of Canby, will be accompanied by a musical selection arranged by Randy Haines. The music, an eclectic variety including rock, country, patriotic tunes and the spoken word, will be broadcast on STAR 95.9 FM.
Hare said Heather Gobet, president of Western Display, “is way excited about this show. She thinks it’s going to be the best show they’ve ever done.”
He said, “This is a big scale, active show. There’s a lot going on, there’s really intricate choreography that goes along with the music.”
He said the music was sent to Western Display in the spring, and they planned a show that is programmed “down to a tenth of a second.”
The company does over 300 July 4 fireworks every year, but is sending its top pyrotechnician to The Dalles, Hare said.
Western Display appreciates the topography of The Dalles, with the wide bend of the Columbia River giving them ample room to set off large rockets, Hare said. Their goal is to make The Dalles a destination point for fireworks, he said.
“There’s a few effects in the show that have never been done in the Northwest before,” Hare said. “It’s stuff they sourced overseas.”
He said a lot of the fireworks effects being used in The Dalles “are things they can’t use anywhere else in the state because of the size of the venue.”
“We have a really unique venue that no one else has, that’s one of the reasons Western Display is so vested in our show,” he said.
Western Display has committed to making The Dalles a fireworks destination spot, and will again donate a $25,000 fireworks display on Veterans Day, Hare said.
A major reason the show is a success, Hare said, is the donation by Bernert Barge Lines that allows fireworks organizers to use their facility for two days as well as their barge, their tug and their tug operator, all free of charge. “That’s a very, very substantial donation,” he said.
Other significant donors include A Kidz Dental Zone, All State Insurance, Northwest Natural, Fairfield Inn and Suites, Bishop Sanitation, Gianino Marble and Granite and Columbia Gorge Affordable Homes, Hare said.
Tickets for the Dallas Smith show are $15 for general admission and $25 for preferred seating. The event is lawn seating, so blankets and chairs are allowed. No outside food or water is permitted, but free water filling stations are being sponsored by Northern Wasco County PUD in honor of the 25th anniversary of its hydro project, Hare said.
Opening acts for Smith are Hare’s well-known regional band, Brewer’s Grade, and American Idol performer Britnee Kellogg.
“I would encourage people to go buy a ticket and enjoy a great show,” he said. “You’d pay 15 bucks to see any one of those bands. A national artist and an American Idol contestant for $15 is a steal.”
Smith had a rock hit in the early 2000s called “Wasting My Time,” and has a platinum country single, “Tippin’ Point.”
He’s nominated for three country music awards in his native Canada. He’ll be leaving The Dalles to join Keith Urban on his world tour, Hare noted.
Tickets are on pre-sale at Westwind Frame & Gallery, Optimist Printers and at fortdallesfourth.com. They will also be available at the gate.
Doors open at 5 p.m. and music begins at 6:30.
On Monday, July 4, the day begins early with the Rocket Run. Registration is at 6:30 a.m. and the run/walk, on the Riverfront Trail, starts at 7:30 a.m. It has 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-k options.
“We’re trying to get the run done before the cruise ship gets in,” Hare said. He said cruise ship passengers will “have great front row seats” for the fireworks show. “I know they’re looking forward to it.”
The community breakfast at the festival park runs from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., with a $5 suggested donation.
Community yoga, with a suggested $2 donation, runs from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
The Independence Day Parade, organized by The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce, is at 10 a.m. and follows the standard parade route.
The Family Funzone bounce houses will be open from noon to 5 p.m., and another slate of musicians will take the stage again on Monday for more entertainment.
Headliner is the Hank Shreve Band, with other performers including Kimberly Hall and Suckerpunch, the winner of the local Battle of the Bands, which took place in May. Music begins at 6:30 p.m.
Entry to the festival park is free, with a suggested donation of $2.
Hard costs for the fireworks show are $50,000, Hare said, and a major backer is the city of The Dalles, which donated $25,000. The Dalles Main Street Program has taken over responsibility of the fireworks show, and is the entity under which the Fort Dalles Fourth committee operates.
Hare said he wanted to express “how much I appreciate the way everyone’s coming together, all the different organizations, all the different businesses, the volunteers, the donors.
“It’s a real true community event, which is getting harder to come by these days.”
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