GMR Sponsors Fair Park Fourth Fireworks Celebration for Second Year
Original article on dallasnews.com
At least 25,000 people are expected to attend Monday’s fourth annual Fair Park Fourth celebration, presented by the nonprofit Friends of Fair Park.
Fireworks designers and technicians have spent months preparing to light up the skies with a $75,000 fireworks show, which sponsors promise will be even greater than last year’s presentation.
The city is encouraging people to watch the fireworks show from inside the Cotton Bowl and enjoy other activities throughout Fair Park.
Last year, just days before the city of Dallas’ Independence Day celebration, budget concerns forced the city to pull the plug on its fireworks show, but that’s when Dallas-based GMR Recyclers stepped in and covered the cost. The company has done so again this year.
“It was a no-brainer,” said Lindsay Goldberg Freedman of GMR Recyclers. “We take special pride in giving back to the city.”
The show, which lasts just under 20 minutes, will consist of 389 firings that are intricately choreographed and timed to fire to the music provided by KLUV-FM (98.7) radio. Each firing consists of one to 10 shells filled with black powder. Metal cannons containing the shells are encased in wooden boxes and wired to a main control where techs will carefully follow a script to set off each firing.
“It’s an extremely technical process,” Dan Farnsworth, licensed technologist for Pyrotecnico, the company that is producing the fireworks show at Fair Park for the second year in a row.
Each shell is 5 to 8 inches in size and explodes at a height of approximately 100 feet per inch of shell. A crew of five will perform tonight’s show and has spent the past three days setting up the explosives in the parking lot of the Gexa Energy Pavilion at Fair Park.
“I don’t think people realize how much hard work goes into a show,” Farnsworth said.
Fair Park gates will open at 4:30 p.m., and admission is free. The celebration includes free or reduced admission to the eight museums at Fair Park, live music performed by seven-time Grammy-nominated Stefani Little Band and the Dallas Wind Symphony in front of the Hall of State and “dancing water” shows in the Esplanade Fountain. The Texas Skyway gondola ride will be operating, and the Swan Boats will be open for some water fun.
KLUV radio personality Jody Dean will host a short presentation at the Hall of State. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano will also be on hand.
For more information, visit fairpark.org.
EVENT DETAILS:
Time: 4:30 to 10 p.m. today at Fair Park. Cotton Bowl Gate D will open at 7:30 p.m. for fireworks show, which begins at 9:30 p.m.
Admission: Free.
Parking : $10 within Fair Park, at Gates 2, 5, 6, 10 and 11. Or ride the DART Green Line.
Handicap parking is available at Gate 5.
Music: Fireworks will be timed to fire with music on KLUV-FM (98.7).
IMPORTANT: Alcoholic beverages, glass bottles, fireworks or firearms will not be permitted on Fair Park grounds. Strollers, coolers and pets are not permitted inside the Cotton Bowl.
