A sparkling parade, speeches and fun at Causland Memorial Park, a spectacular fireworks display and a minimum of public disturbances made Independence Day 2008 a memorable one in Anacortes.
But there will be a historical footnote to that happy day: It marks the last time John Curtis and his crew will orchestrate the pyrotechnical display for the town. He cites a number of reasons, chief among them the difficulty obtaining the large 12-inch shells.
“The Chinese are having a difficult time exporting them. This is due to the terrorist laws. They have been reclassified as high explosives and require special and expensive handling,” he said.
Add to that the difficulty of finding a site, the growing number of people who complain about the noise and the high cost of insurance — $4,000 this year for a 20-minute show — and he said he’s done.
“It’s a good time to just shut her down,” he said.
Mayor Dean Maxwell said the city will explore other options for a fireworks show. He said the city has been approached by a firm in Oak Harbor that puts on displays.
“It would be a much smaller show than people are used to,” Curtis said.
Curtis, a licensed member of the Pyrotechnicians Guild International, has been in charge of the fireworks since 1993. Until 2002 the Curtis family raised money for the show themselves by soliciting donations and selling small fireworks from a booth at their car wash, Bubba Sudz. For the last few years the city has taken over fundraising duties, freeing Curtis to focus on the show.
“The last couple of years the Parks Foundation has done a super job,” he said.
Curtis said the big 12-inch shells will be almost impossible to obtain in the future. This year he only got them because the supplier in Chehalis ordered several extra loads last year.
Similar fireworks produced in the United States are prohibitively expensive because of safety concerns, and they are labor intensive.
“The cost for this show would be more than triple, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said.
The city stepped up to support the fireworks after enacting a ban on personal fireworks a few years ago. Police Chief Bonnie Bowers said Monday that there were fewer emergency calls on July 4 than in past years and illegal fireworks were confiscated from only one person.
Anacortes fireworks cap a festive day, but will they be back?
Elaine Walker
Colorful ‘fireworks’ decorate the hair of Meagan Leow, left, and Ashley Gullicksen during the July 4 parade. The girls were part of a parade entry sponsored by Opulence Hair Salon.
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