Ivar's Presents 42nd Annual Fireworks Show

The annual Fourth of Jul-Ivar's fireworks display in Myrtle Edwards Park, 3130 Alaskan Way W., will begin at 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 4. Unlike past years, Ivar's has decided to discontinue the event's daytime activities, so no music, food or other concessions are planned. However, the park will be open all day so people can bring a picnic.
The fireworks display will last nearly a half hour and includes more than 5,500 shells, ranging in size from 3 to 12 inches. They will be fired up to 1,600 feet above Puget Sound. Many traditional crowd favorites will be featured in the show, as well as new music and effects. The show will be simulcast to music on STAR 101.5 FM and broadcast live on KOMO TV 4.
"We work diligently to make the show fresh and different each year, and yet include the music and effects that we know are crowd favorites," said Kirsten Wlaschin, director of marketing for the Ivar's chain of seafood restaurants.
The show leads off with the dramatic drum music from "The Lion King," which then segues to another popular movie song, the theme from "Superman" by John Williams. The fireworks accompanying the opening songs will feature red strobe lights with a new red imperial lantern technique — strobe stars drifting and flashing above the water. As they subside, the sky will erupt in red, white and blue. Red and blue tiger tails will alight from the four corners of the fireworks barge with an explosion of tourbillions, screamers, whirling techniques, glittering comets and red and blue stars.
Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire," popularized in the Academy Award-winning film "Walk the Line," will feature "rings of fire" pyrotechnics. The fireworks barge will be engulfed with 294 red comet candle boxes to simulate a small volcanic eruption that lasts 15 seconds — an eternity in the world of fireworks viewing. That effect will be followed by red rings with an artillery center, then red and blue rings, followed by triple rings and then criss-crossing rings.
New colors to watch for include lime green with double crackling centers, magenta with twinkling trails, fuchsia peony with blue popping centers and red stained glass with blue centers.
More John Williams music follows the introduction with "Summon the Heroes" and is followed by pop culture favorites such as "Happy Birthday" by the Beatles (in honor of our nation's birthday) and Neil Diamond's "Coming to America."
Tchaikovsky's "The 1812 Overture" is the music for the grand finale.