City plans a blast in the Harbor
for its Independence Day celebration
by Jason Dietrich
The stars-and-stripes will be flying overhead, on the pier, a Zydeco band will be wailing and bombs will be bursting over King Harbor this Fourth of July.
Promoter Jim Hall said the fireworks display is going to be the biggest show held anywhere along the coast in recent years.
"We've added over a thousand new shells," said Hall, a marketing consultant for the pier area. "The show is roughly double the size, in the same amount of time."
This year's beefed-up fireworks show will start at 9 p.m. on the Redondo Beach Pier and last about 18 minutes.
"We try to keep our shows to 20 minutes. After that, people start getting stiff necks and the "ahhh" factor kind of wears off. The trick with fireworks is to always leave 'em wanting more," said Jean Starr of Pyro Spectacular, the pyrotechnics firm that has been responsible for Redondo's fireworks exhibition over the past several years.
As planned, the show will include fireworks segments that resemble palm trees and murals. Some of the fireworks will reach as high as 600 feet. But the new addition this year is a low-altitude fireworks display. Low-level fireworks rocket up about 300 feet, but are more intense for viewers who are close to the launching point.
"We've never done a low-level fireworks display here and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how exciting they are," Starr said.
The fireworks will be set off from a 130-foot barge inside King Harbor. The harbor patrol will keep boats and spectators away from the fall out area, 450-feet from the barge.
With the addition of the low altitude display and the holiday falling mid-week, police expect fireworks fans to want to get up close and leave early. Off-site parking will be available at the City Library and Redondo Union High School. There will be a free shuttle service down to the pier area. The on-site parking is expected to fill up quickly, so promoters are encouraging fireworks fans to walk or bike down to the pier.
"Typically our biggest problem is traffic. As soon as the fireworks are over everyone gets into their cars and they're out-bound" said Steve Cameron of the Redondo Beach Police.
To minimize the impact on local traffic, they'll be stationing officers to direct traffic along Torrance Boulevard, Beryl Street, Herondo Street, and Harbor Boulevard after the show. On-site parking around the harbor will be flat fee, to avoid a backup at the tollgate.
"The past years people have been behaving, and I don't think this year will be much different from previous years. A lot depends on what the weather is like. That really determines the size of the crowd," said Captain Steve Murdoch, of the Redondo Beach Police Department.
"It's really a family evening. People come to watch the fireworks together. But you always have a few who you have to look out for," Cameron said. "A few people bring alcohol or bring their own fireworks down to the beach, but more often than not we're right on them."
No alcohol or fireworks are permitted on the beach, and fireworks of any sort are prohibited in Redondo.
"Even those fire works that are typically considered safe and sane are illegal in Redondo. You can go right over into Lawndale and buy them, but they're not allowed in Redondo," Murdoch said.
Police are fielding an expanded force for event, but don't expect to hand
out many serious violations. "It's about the same amount as on a summer Saturday.
We typically make very few arrests and we expect it to stay under control,"
said Murdoch. ER
