Getting loaded to get exploded; TD's Fireworks tonight among largest in Oregon

Eugene Horvath holds up an 8-inch mortar which will hit 800 feet in the air before exploding into thousands of intense sparks. Horvath and 7 others were packing the barge with all the goodies this morning at Bernert Bargelines in the Port of The Dalles.

Fort Dalles Fourth of July Committee is blowing up.

The Dalles sky that is.

Through another successful year of fundraising and negotiation with The City of The Dalles, they will be bringing one of the largest fireworks displays in Oregon tonight at 10 p.m.

“This is the largest show in Oregon,” said Eugene Horvath with Western Display Fireworks, noting the Blues Festival in downtown Portland would rival it, but not in the size of mortars. “They have more shots, but they are not as big as these.”

He said the 10-inch mortars were unique to The Dalles, which utilizes the Columbia and the big bend in the river that provides a much greater fall-out zone for the firework embers than other display areas in Oregon.

Easy does it - from left Mark Huff of Albany and Tami and Travis Gelbrich of Eagle point wire mortars that will light up the sky tonight in The Dalles.

The crew this morning was wiring each individual mortar which would be connected to a computer for ignition.

Horvath said the mortars explode at the bottom, propelling them out of the cannons in which they sit. A 5-inch shell goes up 500 feet. A 6-inch goes 600 feet.

“This show was made in America,” he said of the fireworks. “That’s a pretty big deal. But Heather with Western Display Fireworks made a commitment, so this is all made in America.”

Volunteers have blown it out of the sky raising thousands of dollars to bring one of the premier fireworks displays in the entire Northwest with 20-plus minutes of bang and blast, oohs and ahs.

Blowing stuff up does not come easy. This crew worked for hours this morning preparing the barge with cannons and mortars for The Dalles Fourth of July fireworks show. Bernert Barge Lines lends use of a barge, crane, tug and staff to load the 10-inch cannons every year for the fireworks display. It cuts thousands of dollars off the cost of the show.