Boy, was that a fast-burning fuse.
It was only last month that a committee of Everett business leaders and city officials lit the match under an effort to bring a huge Fourth of July fireworks show to the city. Backed by a deposit from the Port of Everett, the group set out to raise $35,000 for a spectacular, 25-minute show befitting the Everett’s civic pride.
They passed that goal this week when Everett AquaSox owner Mark Sperandio pledged a hefty $17,500 to assure what should be the best pyrotechnics show anyone’s ever seen here.
The Everett AquaSox Thunder on the Bay will light the sky for miles around. The fireworks will take off from a barge off Jetty Island, farther from shore than in past years to maximize the view from shoreline parks.
Two years ago, residents wrote letters to this page complaining about an 10-minute show they thought fizzled. Residents deserve more, they argued, especially when they’re no longer allowed to set off their own backyard fireworks.
Indeed, Independence Day calls for a magnificent celebration, especially in a city that is the proud home of a major U.S. Navy station. This year’s fireworks show will cap a full day of family activities, including a fund-raising breakfast at the Flying Pig restaurant, a parade through downtown, the YMCA Yankee Doodle Dash and carnival activities before an AquaSox game at Everett Memorial Stadium. These will make up for the absence of activities at Naval Station Everett, which will be closed to the public because of heightened security concerns.
Civic pride is growing in Everett, and thanks to some generous contributors, it will be bursting out all over this Fourth of July.
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