Fireworks on Fjord not a dud, say organizers

POULSBO — Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

And yes, Poulsbo, there will be a Third of July fireworks display.

Mary Graves of Community Event Productions, organizers of the annual Fireworks on the Fjord, said this week that ever since the March announcement there would be no fireworks at the May 16-18 Viking Fest she’s gotten hundreds of calls from concerned citizens and sponsors. While the two events are separate from one another, many people mistook the announcement as meaning that Little Norway’s Independence Day celebration had been nixed.

“I’ve been more than happy to talk to the public about it, but my overall concern was the sponsors,” said Graves, who said she’s averaging at least two phone calls per day about the Third of July. “We’ve had a lot of sponsors call and say, ‘We gave you money for fireworks and we heard in the paper you weren’t having them.’ We need to let the public and the business community know it will be here and in the same place.”

The free Fireworks on the Fjord begins at noon July 3 (Kingston’s Independence Day celebration takes place July 4) at the Anderson Parkway. Besides eating contests and live entertainment, the event will conclude with the 10:30 p.m. fireworks over Liberty Bay. While some displays around the Sound are lagging in the slow economy, Graves said Fireworks on the Fjord is in no danger this year or any other year.

“We will always be doing fireworks for the Poulsbo community,” Graves commented. “We have some fantastic sponsors and they’ve been pretty strong and faithful over the years... We have had some roller coaster years where we had to cut the fireworks display down but we’re moving right along now.”

Besides a faithful group of sponsors, Graves said the $20,000 event also got another boost this year. Courtesy Auto Group will be the title sponsor for Fireworks on the Fjord. The company doesn’t sponsor all of the event’s cost but it’s contribution is a substantial amount of the overall costs, which is why this year’s event is touted as the “Courtesy Auto Group Fireworks on the Fjord.”

“So we’re not only still here but we’re growing,” Graves commented.

For more information about the July 3 Fireworks on the Fjord, call (360) 779-8018 or e-mail communityevents@yahoo.com.

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