{"id":656,"date":"2014-03-17T11:29:08","date_gmt":"2014-03-17T03:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/?p=656"},"modified":"2014-03-17T11:29:22","modified_gmt":"2014-03-17T03:29:22","slug":"wildhorse-fireworks-burn-away-worries-of-rain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/17\/wildhorse-fireworks-burn-away-worries-of-rain\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildhorse fireworks burn away worries of rain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"02\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The rain clouds that had hugged the Blue Mountain all afternoon had finally moseyed over to Wildhorse Resort & Casino, bringing healthy gusts. But that wasn\u2019t about to stop master pyrotechnician and Homeland Fireworks owner Bruce Lawson from creating another special fireworks extravaganza for the resort\u2019s 19th anniversary on March 8
\nAs in a 2,300-pounds-of-explosives extravaganza.
\nDespite the weather, Lawson\u2019s smile could not have been wider.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not a deal breaker,\u201d he said, eyeing the darkening sky. \u201cAs long as the wind is not blowing toward spectators.\u201d
\nNone of the thousands of people in place at the resort two hours before the 8 p.m. show looked like they were going anywhere. More and more cars snaked in from Interstate 84 as time for ignition approached, slowing to stop-and-go as the clock inched forward.
\nThe fireworks display has grown into a regional event, drawing spectators from around the Northwest, said Wildhorse event coordinator Juliana Luke.
\nThe resort\u2019s hotel and RV park get booked far in advance, returning guests reserving their favorite rooms. Kids come home from college and grandchildren get introduced to the hoopla.
\n \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely tradition for people,\u201d Luke said.
\nLawson and his crew of 20 technicians \u2014 which includes his adult children \u2014 work hard to keep it that way. This is one of the two biggest fireworks shows in all of Oregon, Lawson said, the other being at the annual Oregon International Air Show on the other side of the state.
\nAt Wildhorse the stage for filling the sky with fiery stars is about 200 feet wide, where Lawson\u2019s team has placed more than 2,000 domestic and imported shells ranging from small to eight inches long.
\nThat\u2019s in the field next to the resort\u2019s gold course. Closer to the parking lot \u2014 and watchers \u2014 is the Wall of Fire that rises from the ground like atomic mushrooms of flame. Spectators can feel the heat for 1,000 feet, Luke said, and Homeland Fireworks is the only company certified in the state to produce the effect.
\nLawson\u2019s crew also built a three-story rattan framework, implanting fireworks in a pattern to duplicate the resort\u2019s logo. At the end of the 25-minute show, those are lit for a last burning memory
\nLawson designs his company\u2019s shows using computer programming, a galaxy away from when he used Excel spreadsheets and labeled each firework with a pen.
\nHomeland Fireworks gets invited to work all over the Pacific Northwest, but the Eastern Oregon show remains a favorite.
\n\u201cA show like this is typically only seen back East \u2026 it\u2019s 100 percent pyro musical, where all the devices match up with music,\u201d Lawson said.
\nAnd how much does such a wonder cost?
\n \u201cI can\u2019t say,\u201d Lawson said, smiling and ducking his head. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot.\u201d
\nCost and care were evident the minute the show launched at 8:05 p.m. as the parking lot lights went dark.
\nGolden shooters greeted the crowd, going up, up, up to explode and drizzle streams of light back onto the ground. That was followed by nonstop explosions of red, green, turquoise and purple before ribbons of fire distilled into stars dancing on air.
\n\u201cSpirit in The Sky,\u201d broadcast on site and live by Confederated Tribe of the Umatilla Indian Reservation radio station KCUW, was fitting for the rapid-fire florets of vibrant color that next peppered the sky and provided backup percussion. The music evolved into an airy ballet as graceful arcs of meteors showered the land.
\nThe rain ended. The fireworks did not. Fountains of spangles danced with crystal blue rhinestones as \u201cRoyals,\u201d by Lorde, coated each sparkle with sweet sound.
\nTime stopped as umbrellas of light covered the crowds while torches, once heaven bound, burned back toward earth. A barrage of constellations ascended above the Wall of Fire as it once again roared to life, eliciting shouts from onlookers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The rain clouds that had hugged the Blue Mountain all afternoon had finally moseyed over to Wildhorse Resort & Casino, bringing healthy gusts. But that wasn\u2019t about to stop master pyrotechnician and Homeland Fireworks owner Bruce Lawson from creating another … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,52,48,64,53,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fireworks","category-fireworks-display","category-fireworks-news","category-fireworks-rules","category-fireworks-show-photo","category-21"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":659,"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656\/revisions\/659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpfireworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}