By Ed Moreth 

Fireworks light up fairgrounds

 

Ed Moreth

COLORFUL SKY – Fireworks litter the sky along the Clark Fork River at Sanders County Fairgrounds for an Independence Day celebration.

Vehicles filled the Sanders County Fairgrounds parking lot and lined the road from the corner of Fifth Avenue and Third Street across the bridge and down River Road Saturday night as brilliant colorful lights filled the sky. 

It was a celebration of the country's 244th year of independence from Great Britain. Though the Second Continental Congress really voted for independence on July 2, they printed the final wording two days later - July 4 - the day Americans have come to know as Independence Day. Saturday was the first time that county fair officials have produced an Independence Day fireworks display since 2014 when Mike Hashisaki was manager. 

The event turned into a light show extravaganza with people along the beach doing fireworks and with the help of the community of Paradise, which contributed to the show by donating $1,000 that they had planned to use to purchase for their own fireworks display. Darin King, commander of American Legion Post 129 in Paradise, said the post collects donations for the community's annual Fourth of July Picnic in the Park, which they have done for years. He said the railroad wouldn't let them use their property for fireworks and Montana Fish and Wildlife Service didn't want them to use the beach again. "We were glad to do something for the community and be able to contribute to the show in Plains," said King, who plans to look for a site at Paradise for next Independence Day.

The fair board unanimously voted at the June meeting to kick in $1,000 for an Independence Day fireworks show, although they could only use Class C fireworks because no one was certified to fire Class B. Board Chairman Randy Woods said that if the board wanted, he would go though the class and get the permit for next year. In addition, Ed Beckley of No Limits Monster Trucks donated $1,000 toward the fairgrounds fireworks event.

It was Woods, who is also chief of the Hot Springs Fire Department, that shot off the estimated 2,000 shells Saturday night from a concrete platform next to the fairgrounds beach. Fair Manager Melissa Cady and Hot Springs firefighters Amy Gray and Lyle Fisher assisted him. The fairgrounds firework display lasted nearly 30 minutes with shells at times firing in a quick continuous array, ending shortly before 11 p.m. But the fairgrounds grand finale didn't mean the bombs bursting in air were done. It wasn't long after people on the beach continued their show for more than an hour. Many of them began shooting their fireworks long before dusk, from the beach, the parking lots, along the road, and from some of the concrete pads next to the parking lot. 

"Loved it. We worked hard to to put this on and we are so happy that Paradise combined their show with ours," said Cady, who believed about 500 people came to the fairgrounds for the display. "The monster trucks and fireworks were a great added event for the county and I enjoyed seeing many local faces smiling and having a great time," she said, adding that she hopes they do it again next year. "I'm very happy that fireworks have returned to the fair, it's about time. It definitely should be a yearly tradition on the Fourth of July in my opinion," said Hashisaki, who did it for 10 years while he was manager.

Once the fairgrounds finished with its show, Woods and the volunteers stacked the empty shell boxes and wetted them down with the Hot Springs Fire Department water tender. Woods also watered down the grassy area nearby before and after the show. Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District Chief James Russell was on site during the show as a safety precaution and stayed around until midnight to make sure no fires started. 

"I really thought it was great. Everybody I talked to thought it was awesome," said Kim McNeil, fairgrounds caretaker for the past 27 years. His son, Kimo, used to help Hashisaki with the fireworks. McNeil said there were times in the past that people on the beach would leave a big mess for him to clean up, but he said most this year put their trash in the small dumpster there and when that was full, they stacked trash next to the dumpster. McNeil said he normally lets them stay until midnight. He used to let them stay longer, but he received too many complaints from neighbors about the noise. On Saturday, they were gone from the fairgrounds two minutes after midnight, he said. He said he'd like to see the Fourth of July fair fireworks tradition return.

Ed Moreth

BRIGHTENING THE NIGHT- Kim and Margaret McNeil watch the fireworks show at the fairgrounds.

Although Commissioner Carol Brooker enjoys fireworks, she's hesitant about a regular fair-sponsored fireworks occurrence because it's mainly a Plains event. "If the county paid for it with county funds we would need to pay for Hot Springs, Thompson Falls, Trout Creek, Noxon, and Heron. They all put displays on," said Brooker, a Plains resident, who noted that the fair is different because it's a countywide event. She also said that special insurance would be required if the county sponsored a fireworks event. She said that in the past, a few community members used to donate large sums of money to help pay for the fair's Fourth of July fireworks.

Independence Day was not over on the fourth for one Plains family, who celebrated the nation's birth the following evening at the fairgrounds with their own show with about $1,500 worth of fireworks. Chuck Clinkenbeard Sr. and his family operate a fireworks stand at the corner of Highways 28 and 200, something they've been doing since 1998. The Clinkenbeard family keeps their shop open until midnight on July 4, which means they miss all the Independence Day celebrations. His son, known to others as "Chucky," came up with the idea of doing their observance on the following day. Clinkenbeard said the family celebration has also become a tribute to Chucky, who passed away at age 38, five years ago.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024