When the last of the Fourth of July fireworks faded from the night sky Thursday in Hermiston, there were more than a few people who didn’t realize the show had ended.
A few seconds passed and then a few more as spectators anticipated one final spectacular ending. Slowly it began to dawn on the crowd that the show was over without a finale or the customary fireball blast. At Monday night’s Hermiston City Council meeting, an explanation was provided for the anti-climactic end.
“There was a little bit of a snafu,” said Hermiston City Manager Ed Brookshier. “There was no finale.”
Larry Fetter, Hermiston’s Parks and Recreation director, explained to the council that the fireworks were set off using a computerized system and a glitch caused the show to end without the expected finale. In the past, the fireworks were set off manually, he said. Along with the lack of a finale, there were several extended gaps between blasts of fireworks.
“There were a few pauses where the sky was black,” Fetter said.
Fetter said there are only a handful of registered pyrotechnics companies the city can use for its fireworks show, but he told the council that he expects next year to be a return to form.
“We want to make sure we’re moving toward the quality we’re used to,” he said.
