Pre-Show Festivities
National Anthem
Each year, the Family 4th welcomes a talented, Northwest-based artist or group to sing our National Anthem, honor our great Nation and kickoff the fireworks program. This year we’re proud to have local jazz great Great Matassa performing the National Anthem, with Seattle Fire Department’s Walter Kilgore Honor Guard providing the colors.
In addition, this year’s event features a very special pre- and post-fireworks show performance by one of Seattle’s favorite hometown bands, The Presidents of the United States of America.
Chinook Helicopter Flyover
We regret to inform that a favorite of the Family 4th at Lake Union will not be returning this year. The Army Reserve CH-47F Chinook helicopter flyover, handled by “A” Company, Fifth of the 159th Aviation Regiment (“The Hookers”) from the United States Army Reserve of Fort Lewis, Washington is unable to join us for this year’s festivities. The availability of the Chinook helicopter is dependent on the unit’s deployment and we hope to be able to welcome them back for the 2011 Family 4th.
The Show
The Soundtrack
The fireworks are perfectly synchronized to a unique musical score featuring a mix of popular, patriotic and celebration themed songs. This year, the fireworks soundtrack will also reflect the unique circumstances surrounding the outpouring of community support that saved the celebration, and will therefore feature songs about gratitude, friendship and overcoming obstacles! If you're enjoying the fireworks from vantage points around Lake Union, listen to the display's musical score as it is simulcast exclusively on 97.3 KIRO FM.
Radio Simulcast
The natural amphitheater of Lake Union provides multiple vantage points for you to take in the Family 4th fireworks display. If you decide to watch the show from a location other than Gas Works Park, tune in to KIRO 97.3 FM at approximately 10pm for the simulcast of the fireworks soundtrack.
TV Broadcast
For those of you viewing the show from home KING 5 will be covering the entire fireworks program in glorious HD, beginning at 10pm with pre-show performances.
Eric Tucker of Pyro Spectaculars
Since the early ’80s, Eric Tucker has been in demand as a master pyrotechnic designer. Tucker designs controlled, precisely-timed European-style fireworks, featuring the highest quality shells from all over the world. Tucker’s fireworks are wide-angled displays fully choreographed to the Family 4th musical score, utilizing cutting-edge digital technology to precisely time the fireworks to the millisecond.
Take a second to learn more about the master pyrotechnic designer who has been working for months to bring fireworks dazzle to Seattle in this interview with Eric, recorded July 2, 2009 on 103.7 The Mountain with Marty Riemer.
Starbucks 5th of July Lake Union Cleanup
In a fun follow-up to the Independence Day event, Starbucks is proud to organize the 5th of July Lake Union Cleanup. In the spirit of keeping our neighborhoods clean and healthy and thanking our Lake Union neighbors for their hospitality, Starbucks is inviting community at large to join their partners (employees) to come out for a day of service to re-beautify the area.
Starbucks will not only coordinate the cleanup efforts on land, but will also sponsor the cleanup on Lake Union’s waters, which will be conducted by Puget Soundkeeper Alliance. Man-made debris and pollution are harmful to our water ecosystems and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance works year-round to remove pollutants from our lakes, rivers and Puget Sound. Fireworks are an important national pastime, and Starbucks and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance are proud to be stewards of the environment as well as helping to make this event successful.
To sign up for the event and get additional details, visit starbucks.com/seattle and pugetsoundkeeper.org.
Fun Fireworks Factoids
How High is Up?
How high up a firework will fly depends on its size. The spherical shells used in the Family 4th at Lake Union range from three inches in diameter (roughly the size of a baseball) to 10 inches (slightly smaller than a basketball). A simple rule of thumb in calculating how high a firework will ascend before it explodes is 100 feet of altitude for every inch of shell diameter, so a 10-inch shell explodes 1,000 feet in the air.
The breadth of the bloom of each firework also depends on the size of the shell. Generally the bloom is about 75 feet across for every inch of shell width, so that same 10-inch shell bursts into a bloom over 750 feet across, about the length of two and a half football fields.
Lighting the Sky
Just what makes flashes of light in the sky on the Fourth of July patriotic? On the first Fourth of July celebration in 1776, Philadelphia patriots lit their windows with candles to let all know where they stood. Those loyal to the English crown kept their panes dark.
Rockets Red Glare
Celebration of the Fourth with rockets and gunpowder dates back to that celebrated day in 1776. Even as John Hancock's signature dried on the Declaration of Independence, the jubilant report of rifles and small arms fire filled the streets of Philadelphia. That evening 13 rockets were fired into the air above Philadelphia Commons and each warship in the new United States Navy fired 13 cannons to honor the young nation.
Green Thumb, Arm, Elbow…
In the 17th century, the torch-bearing men who lit fireworks fuses first covered themselves with water-soaked green leaves as protection from mishap and fire. These walking mounds of vegetation were referred to as “green men,” and so some professional pyrotechnicians are still known by this nickname. Nowadays, fireworks are fired off using “electronic matches,” an electrical charge triggered from a large control panel, which allows for greater precision in timing.
Black Powder
The black powder that shoots fireworks into the sky is a simple combination of common chemicals—sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal. Black powder does not gain its full volatility until it is properly processed. An important component in the potency enhancing process is a surprising ingredient—water. Even when mixed at the proper proportions, black powder will merely sputter and burn when ignited. However, if the powder is thoroughly mixed with water, ground with a heavy stone wheel and left out to dry—watch out!
Good as Gold
The easiest color to produce in pyrotechnics is thought to be gold—a straight mixture of charcoal and black powder. In fact, gold coloring was the first visual effect fireworks ever had. However, gold can also be one of the hardest colors to perfect.
Weeping Willows
What makes the weeping willow effect in a firework? Charcoal burns longer than explosive black powder's other ingredients. It is bits of charcoal—like the glowing embers in your barbecue - that drift slowly down to create the weeping willow effect.
Hear that Lonesome Whistle
The wailing shrieks of certain "whistler" shells are not caused by air passing over holes in the shell like a flute, but instead are the result of burning sodium salicytate—a chemical added to fireworks to create just such a delightful sound. Interestingly, sodium salicytate is closely related to aspirin, which can quiet post-Fourth headaches.
