PORT ANGELES — Fireworks are returning to Port Angeles this Fourth of July after being canceled last year.
Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce Director Marc Abshire says the biggest hurdle last year was simply not having a permitted place to launch them — along with the inability to secure or afford a barge.
“We are going to have fireworks in the harbor this year. But you have to understand, there are months if not years of work that goes into actually making this possible.”
This year, the fireworks will return to a shore-based launch site west of Valley Creek — an area that had been unavailable due to construction. Abshire says the site is usable again, but only temporarily, meaning long-term solutions are still needed.
He says pulling it together this year wasn’t easy — even after securing funding help, including contributions from a visiting cruise ship and longtime sponsor Astound Broadband. Organizers then hit another snag when no licensed pyrotechnician was available — until a local expert stepped in.
“But we did find a gentleman who actually lives in Port Townsend, and the nicest guy, and we’ve been talking with him the last couple weeks, and he’s going to do it. So, he’s licensed, and so I’m putting together that team.”
This year’s event is shaping up to be a full day of celebration — with a new patriotic pet parade, vendors, music, and activities planned along the waterfront.
Abshire says the goal is not just to bring fireworks back — but to restore a key community tradition, especially as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.