33 Replies to "Post-Fourth fireworks: 'Private' show off Beach Drive on July 20th"

• Silly Goose July 1, 2013 (6:47 pm)

  This sounds like a fun night!!

• shed22 July 1, 2013 (7:10 pm)

  I’d be happy to attend. What’s the address, again?

• JayDee July 1, 2013 (7:37 pm)

  Cool. There used to be a similar display off Manchester. This will be close enough to home to hear the boom with the flash. I will enjoy it even if the cats don’t.

• West Seattle Hipster July 1, 2013 (7:58 pm)

  Very nice of them to be considerate and give 3 weeks notice.

  Hope I am in the neighborhood to check it out.

• Alki Area July 1, 2013 (8:04 pm)

  As long as it’s not TOO big. This isn’t the “middle” of Lake Union or the downtown waterfront. This is entirely a residential area and this does tend to freak out pets. So just a note to the residences with pets, keep your pets close when there’s fireworks that close.

• GenHillOne July 1, 2013 (8:17 pm)

  That’s cool they’re letting folks know so we can plan for our animals (and our own viewing parties :) – thanks for sharing your celebration!).

• David July 1, 2013 (8:57 pm)

  Hope it’s not too loud. This is a residential area. Keep an eye on your pets.

• DiverLaura July 1, 2013 (11:07 pm)

  Are there already clean up plans for the fireworks debris? There is an amazing fishing reef right off that park and a huge beautiful seapen bed. Its best to get these things cleaned up before they have a chance to become waterlogged. The current will move this trash rather rapidly depending on tide.

• Dano July 2, 2013 (12:38 am)

  ….ok…. I’ll be the wet blanket here…. I just hate fireworks because I see what fear and misery they bring to my much loved best friend….. A sweet, older border-collie black lab who is simply terrified of the loud explosions, and the smell of the cordite…… Each year I honestly worry that he will be scared to death….. I know folks will belittle my comment, or say I should take him somewhere else that night….. I suppose I could do that on an isolated night….. But I also think about the creatures in our wooded areas, who have done nothing to deserve the fear and disruption caused by our need for these expensive, wasteful displays….. Please reconsider?

• Steve July 2, 2013 (6:33 am)

  Omg! So super excited to have this happen. I will be prepping for the evening with some fresh fruit trays and tuna casserole. Also plan to get snappers and firecrackers for the kids. Sparklers will be in order too. I will do skewers on the grill with fresh cherry tomatoes. Can’t wait for the event. I will also have some cherry bombs for the kids and bottle rockets. Then I’ll cook some steaks on the grill with corn husk on. Later we will have smoke bombs for the kids and firecracker tanks(love those) this is just great news and I’m planning on baking a few pies for dessert. As well as a custard pie too. Cherry pies as well. After the show I plan to have gummy worms and slurpies for the kids before we start letting off stink bombs and dragon snakes. After that we will throw the burgers on the Barbie and have some chocolate shakes

• The C-town Clown July 2, 2013 (9:26 am)

  Dano – It’s only 10 minutes. The world is a messy and often noisy place sometimes, even in nature (thunder storms, wind, etc.). That said, I agree with the earlier comment about cleaning up debris and keeping pets indoors (for all of about 10 minutes ;).

• Dan July 2, 2013 (12:49 pm)

  Whoo hoo!

• Ajax July 2, 2013 (2:24 pm)

  This particular display may only last for ten minutes but people in West Seattle will be blowing up stuff for at least a month, as they do each summer. A few years ago when my trashy neighbors seemingly tried to recreate the storming of Normandy and my yard caught on fire and my dog had a seizure and I had to cancel an international trip, the world was most definitely a messy and noisy place. That sure was a long, um, 10 minutes.

• Dano July 2, 2013 (10:38 pm)

  Ajax… I’m so sorry to hear about your dog…. I agree with what you have mentioned….. The fireworks seem to go on for several days, and neighbors throughout West Seattle (and certainly a lot of folks visiting from other areas) don’t realize that all those isolated shoot offs add up. It’s unfair to our pets… I wish I could figure something out to make my little guy ok with all of it…. Again, I’m so sorry to hear about your dog….

• alkiobserver July 3, 2013 (9:13 am)

  Love it! Looking forward to enjoying the display.

• Star 55 July 4, 2013 (6:58 pm)

  I am please that someone has the courtesy to let us know in advance so we can plan accordingly for our pets and children. I have been hearing illegal fireworks for several days now and no one seems to care about that. I plan on enjoying the display without the crazy crowds at Gas Works Park. Thanks again.

• Carol July 14, 2013 (1:10 pm)

  It is nice to know that this particular Professional Fireworks display has gone thru rigorous permitting (4 months for the process) thru the City of Seattle Special Events, the Coast Guard, and the Seattle Police Department. Cleanup of the area, water included, is part of the deal.
  I think this event speaks to the sense of community that we are fortunate to share here in beautiful West Seattle.
  We are looking forward to the show!!

• greendemon July 16, 2013 (1:06 pm)

  I wish there was a LIKE button for some of these comments: WSHipster, GenHillOne, Star55 and Carol. I applaud Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes for getting the word out so neighbors to the area don’t freak out—Thx! to WSBlog for spreading the word too. I wish I had a western view home to have a party in and enjoy. I guess a street-end will do.

• anonyme July 20, 2013 (2:09 pm)

  I’m with ajax, diverlaura and dano. Enough of this crap, both in terms of noise, pollution, and toxic debris landing in Puget Sound. Given that the illegal fireworks far outstrip the big legal displays on holidays (and long before and after), there is way, way too much of this.

• pie July 20, 2013 (10:27 pm)

  What a bunch of – wet shirts. We didn’t know this was happening til it happened. And it was awesome. I have not that wide in ages watching it from my front yard.

  Get over it. Your pets do. Were you mad are nature last week when the thunder and lightning were scaring them?

  4 months of permitting. I doubt the company who sent them off doesn’t have a plan to cleanup.

  West Seattlites are getting so flipping self-righteous. Just. Have. Fun. In. Life.

• Cathy July 20, 2013 (10:32 pm)

  Well , I don’t think west Seattle blog should be the formal communication for this . The city did a lousy job of communicating this and it scared the shit out of a lot of people, including my 86 yr old mother who thought she was being bombed!
  Very inappropriate – I usually love everything Seattle, but they really disappointedly me on letting this happen.

  • WSB July 20, 2013 (10:55 pm)

    Cathy: We weren’t the only people notified (I know a neighborhood council sent it out to their mailing list, but I have no idea about what other means of communication were used) but as the most-read news publication on the peninsula this was one way to reach tens of thousands, and though we were under no obligation to, we published it multiple times and also kept it in our sidebar all day today, same place we put major traffic alerts and other breaking news. (We also noted it on our Facebook and Twitter feeds, which reach additional thousands.) But it would certainly be good feedback for the city – let them know how you would expect to be notified about something like this … Tracy
    .
    P.S. Just for the record, these are the prior mentions. This is not to bludgeon Cathy or anyone else with “how could you miss it?” but just a datapoint:
    .
    July 1st: https://westseattleblog.com/2013/07/post-fourth-fireworks-private-show-off-beach-drive-on-july-20th
    .
    July 5th: mentioned in our 4th of July fireworks coverage https://westseattleblog.com/2013/07/west-seattle-4th-of-july-2013-fireworks-view-and-smoke
    .
    July 16th: https://westseattleblog.com/2013/07/post-4th-of-july-fireworks-2-official-shows-this-week
    .
    July 18th in call for cleanup help: https://westseattleblog.com/2013/07/you-can-help-2-beachwater-cleanups-ahead-sunday-with-puget-soundkeeper-august-3-with-seal-sitters
    .
    This morning:
    https://westseattleblog.com/2013/07/west-seattle-saturday-grand-parade-float-dodger-5k-alki-art-fair-medfest-outdoor-movies-much-much-more
    .
    We also had FIREWORKS TONIGHT alert in the BIG STORIES list on the sidebar, since early this morning. In future design/format changes, we expect to have someplace even more visible that a big alert could be tacked.
    .
    And there were the social-media alerts (WSB has 19K followers on Twitter and almost 11K on Facebook) which we hope caught some eyes too.
    .
    But again, it’s not that we were supposed to be “the” official channel. (I see in a later comment that printed notices went out on Beach Drive.) I’m just saying we did the best we could, knowing this would be something that would catch a lot of attention. Any time we learn of something that will affect or maybe alarm a lot of people – traffic, emergency drills, etc. – we try as hard as we can to get alerts out, because that’s our job. – TR

• pat davis July 20, 2013 (10:41 pm)

  OUTRAGEOUS ! you pollute our air, scare wildlife out of their minds (notice birds flying in terror in the sky at NIGHT) My dog is shaking and scared. This disturbed our sleep- to say the least. Now we get to breathe polluted air. The 4th was insane, let alone having to go through this ‘again’ for what? Have your celebrations in an earth, environment and neighborhood friendly way. Don’t wreck out sleep, terrify animals,and pollute our air. For those who agree: contact Chris Swenson, City of Seattle “special events” via email and ask that NO PERMITS BE GRANTED FOR PRIVATE FIREWORKS. chris.swenson@seattle.gov (note the dot between chris and swenson) Seattle decided not to have cigarette smoking in public (cough,cough) why give a permit to massively pollute the air, and water (and think of the marine life ‘hearing’ this). It is environmentall arrogant and uneducated! stop it ! Who did this:
  Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering. Deal breaker for me doing business with them ! Get earth conscious ! Not self indulged.

• WSKEL July 20, 2013 (10:48 pm)

  Leave it to the good people of West Seattle to dampen the fun of a loving couple on their Anniversary. My dog hates fireworks, but I love them and it was spectacular!

  If everyone here is so concerned about the environment and their peace and quiet, how about we not have a parade and street fair every weekend in the Summer? I hate the noise and garbage and street congestion that come along with them…but you what? I’m part of a community and you can’t have everything you want. #endofrant

• CR July 20, 2013 (10:49 pm)

  Pat, really? Chill out.

• Cr July 20, 2013 (11:14 pm)

  @pat totally agree and will contact Chris and the city council.

• Bette July 20, 2013 (11:15 pm)

  Wonderful show — We all loved it ~ A great idea without the long drive & crowds.. We hope others will put on a fireworks show for all to enjoy in the same location !!!

• Alki Resident July 20, 2013 (11:31 pm)

  Alright. I have to agree with pie & WSKEL. This came as a total surprise for me too but seriously, people, get a grip! I was happy it wasn’t gunfire & I enjoyed the show. Every summer people block my driveway (happened TODAY for the Art Show), throw their garbage all over my lawn & can’t seem to pick up after their dog when it poops in my yard. While I could do without the inconsiderate acts, I know that in summer I live in a busy, noisy neighborhood with limited street parking. Such is life. Enjoy the beach – I know we do! :) Honestly, I was feeling pretty cranky when I came home & couldn’t get into the driveway this afternoon and the fireworks were a pleasant surprise & nice end to the evening. Please don’t rain on everyone’s parade, even if we are in the “rainy city”. ;) Thank you.

• Rick Sinclair July 21, 2013 (5:34 am)

  We live on the north end of Vashon and enjoyed this beautiful show! With my father here celebrating his 81st Bday this added to a special day.

• enid July 21, 2013 (7:28 am)

  How, exactly, is all the debris (including wire) that sinks beneath the surface of the water cleaned up? The answer is, it’s not. The garbage on top is bad enough, but under the water is where it does some real damage.

  Pat, thanks for the link. I’ll be adding that communique to my list along with letters to the Mayor and Council re: enforcement of the fireworks ban.

• WSFoodie July 21, 2013 (9:26 am)

  For a brief second when the fireworks started, my family thought it was gunshots and ducked for cover. Then we realized what it was and enjoyed the amazing show from our front porch in Seaview. I thought it was a nice surprise on a beautiful summer night. After the grand finale I we cheered and I could hear neighbors cheering too. Congrats to the anniversary couple and thanks for sharing your celebration with your neighbors too!

• Linda Spott July 21, 2013 (10:55 am)

  The fireworks were great to watch and thank you to the camera person for their time and effort. I live in Arizona and we couldn’t go out for the fourth of July as was toooo hot. So this was great!!! Hello to all in West Seattle

• Al Adinolfi July 21, 2013 (2:08 pm)

  I’m a big fan of good fireworks displays, but not a big fan of the lack of communication about this event.

  Many folks in my neighborhood (including myself) were a taken by the sudden noise last night and I must admit it was a bit disturbing.

  I mean, I’m in the middle of a good movie and I’m not just hearing the report from the rockets, but feeling them as well. Not something you can just, shut out.

  Honestly, if I’d had advanced notice, I probably woulda been there to watch and I think if the city is going to hand out permits for private displays, they should make a concerted effort to advise the neighborhoods the event will effect.

  Now, I have neither children nor pets, but I know for a fact, that people on my block who have either, or both, didn’t know about this display and it scared the crap outa every dog on the block and woke a few of the children.

  So, with that as the preface, I’d say, a little better communication about such displays in the future for pet owners, those with sleeping children and those of us who are pissed off cause we missed a cool fireworks display

  And to whomever it was that this display was done for… Happy Anniversary! : )

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