Hood River

Stomps, said donations are down but the show’s still on for July Fourth this year.

Hood River Fireworks LLC, took over the event in 2022 from the Eye Opener Lions Club, organizers of the event since 1979. One of the group’s youngest members, Stomp’s been helping out since the age of about 13.

Volunteers handle storing, prepping, and firing off the fireworks they purchase. Eleven permits, and on average, 370 fireworks shells are needed. The crew takes them down to Hood River Spit, organizes the shells according to a design sheet, load them up, and bury smaller shells in boxes of sand. They prep and wire the fuses, install fuse boxes, connect everything up with a control panel, and finally fire them off at 10 p.m.

The spit is completely surrounded by water, and the fire department douses the spit beforehand. “There’s almost no better place to do it,” Stomps said. During his time organizing the show, there’s never been a fire.

Stomps emphasized that the spit itself is off-limits for safety reasons, and if anyone goes there, the show must be stopped until they leave.

With donations dropping and the cost of fireworks increasing, Stomps said he buys smaller fireworks, in order to get enough to meet the 20-minute show length, “depending on how trigger-happy I get.” So the display has been “shrinking” recently, he said.

The show costs about $20,000 to $25,000 on average, funded by donations of any size from private individuals, businesses and nonprofits, with no contribution from the city. Fundraising takes place a year in advance, and donations are also below target this year so far, Stomps said.

Good places to view the 10 p.m. show include Hood River Event Site, the marina, and “anywhere you can see the spit,” including the White Salmon bluff. Hood River has limited free parking, however.

Details online at hoodriverfireworks.com.