When the recession took its toll on Vancouver’s vaunted Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza last year, and the skies remained dark over Fort Vancouver, “the silence was deafening,” Fort Vancouver National Trust President Elson Strahan said Wednesday.
But when the event that’s been an annual tradition since 1963 was gone, public outcry to save the popular show was plenty boisterous. Fort officials said they knew what had to be done in 2010: Find a way to bring the boom back to Fort Vancouver.
“The message was clear — our community values this event,” he said.
And so, with the help of a new corporate sponsor and a more sustainable price tag, the fireworks show, now dubbed Independence Day at Fort Vancouver, will return on July 4, trust officials announced at a kickoff event Wednesday.
Plans are for a family-friendly community event that will have a much different feel than the one of the recent past.
First off: Don’t plan on watching from Oregon or on boats in the Columbia River.
Gone are the elaborate launches from a barge in the middle of the river — this year’s fireworks will be shot from Pearson Field and won’t go much higher than 450 feet. They’re designed to be an up-close thrill, meaning those outside the 366-acre Fort Vancouver National Site may not get the full effect, said Bob Gobet of Western Display Fireworks, the show’s pyrotechnics designer.
The single large stage with large screens is going to be replaced by four smaller stages with different themes, including a kid-centric stage, an acoustic stage and a historic interpretation stage.
Also, be prepared to buy $5 tickets in advance (or $7 at the gate) to get the best view of the show. Kids younger than 12 are free. Premium viewing tickets are $50 for those older than 21 and $25 for visitors 20 and younger. Tickets are for sale at www.fortvan.org.
It’s all about building a day that is sustainable through corporate sponsors and ticket sales, Strahan said.
In 2008, the show cost nonprofit Fort Vancouver National Trust, which organizes and funds the event, and its sponsors upwards of $450,000, Strahan said. This year, the budget is somewhere around half that figure.
“We’re launching an entirely reinvented event,” Strahan said.
Bank of America has stepped forward as the revamped event’s sponsor, although the trust is still looking for other corporate backers, he said.
The planned return of fireworks had some Vancouver’s higher-ups reminiscing about their childhood Independence Day celebrations.
“You really don’t know what you had till it’s gone,” said David Moss, Southwest Washington marketing president for Bank of America.
He remembered watching it from his parent’s house at age 7, then as a teen in a pasture on Prune Hill and finally as an adult from his home on Prune Hill. “It’s almost as iconic as the ball dropping (on New Years) in Times Square around here,” Moss said.
‘Marquee event’
Mayor Tim Leavitt said the city, which is not contributing any money to the event, will do everything it can to help the fireworks be a success. A Vancouver native, he also said he remembers heading to the fort year after year.
“It’s a marquee event in this community for more years than I’ve been alive,” the 39-year-old mayor quipped. “There is history in (Fort Vancouver). With each and every Fourth of July celebrated on these grounds, we are reminded that it’s not just another day.”
Leavitt bought the first ticket to the event from 7-year-old Pioneer Elementary School student AnneMarie Albright, whose Oxford Cheer group is selling the $5 tickets as a fundraiser, where they keep $1 of each sold. Nonprofits are welcome to contact the trust about selling the tickets, said Kim Hash, Fort Vancouver National Trust programs manager.
The ticketing system online also allows purchasers to buy extra tickets to be donated to families that may not be able to afford admission, Hash said.
Strahan said it was custom in the past to not charge admission to the event, but as costs rose and the recession hit over the last few years, the trust began asking for donations. In coming back this year, Strahan said the city and National Park Service agreed that “we needed to institute a reasonable admission fee, rather than relying on donations.”
Organizers hope to draw upwards of 60,000 people to the show, he said. Admission for the daylong event will begin at 8 a.m., and will include activities such as guided walking tours of Officers Row, a patriotic parade for kids, food vendors and a beer garden.
