Fireworks season going strong

If there's a silver lining to be found in a delay of Smoke on the Water to Saturday, it's that eastern New Mexico essentially gets to treat the next seven days as Independence Week.

After a year off due to the pandemic, Portales will celebrate Independence Day tonight with a 9:30 p.m. fireworks show at the City Softball Complex on Industrial Drive.

Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Karl Terry said the show should be about 15 minutes, and he advises people arrive on site well before dark to get settled in for the show.

"With Clovis not having a show on July 4, this year it is very likely crowds could be much larger." Terry said. "We know people were disappointed last year and they're ready for a great show this year."

The Clovis Smoke on the Water fireworks show will be held on Saturday, with the event sponsor noting difficulty in finding available staff to handle what is normally a $20,000 display. The Saturday show, according to a release from Rooney Moon Broadcasting, will be a $25,000 effort.

Just outside of the city limits heading into the weekend, Clovis residents were simply purchasing more fireworks to make up for the Smoke on the Water delay. As Rafael Saiz loaded boxes of colored explosives into the rear seat of his vehicle, he said a July 4 without pandemic restrictions wouldn't be much different than the 2020 holiday with them.

"We might pop a few fireworks, have a cookout with the family," Saiz said. "The display being moved to the 10th, that's really the bigger change."

Paul Bennett, who's spent 52 of his 63 years selling fireworks for every Independence Day and New Year's Day, said many places are facing fireworks shortages, but he's been OK thanks to connections he's built over the decades.

"I've got another truck coming in two hours," Bennett said Friday from his TNT fireworks booth. "I've got another pallet. I'm betting other guys will run out."

The Roosevelt chamber release calls the parking lot directly to the east of the softball complex its prime viewing area, but also notes areas near the Senior Citizens Center and on the west side of the softball fields along the old soccer fields will be good, too.

"We definitely urge folks to come on into the park area for the best experience," Terry said. "Parking will not be allowed along Industrial Drive but we have lots of room."

Spectators are reminded there is no alcohol allowed in the complex, that pets should be on a leash or left at home and the walking trails will be closed for the entire day.

The public can monitor the Roosevelt County Chamber Facebook page for weather and safety updates as the event approaches. If a weather-related postponement is necessary, Monday is the initial backup plan.

"We're still about $4,000 short of our goal of $15,000," Terry said, noting donations could be made online at portales.com. "We're hoping by fireworks time we'll have received enough donations to clear that goal. One of the things that makes this such a community effort is the way that businesses, individuals and clubs step up to fund the purchase of the fireworks show. We've had individual donations as small as $5 up to business donations in our Five-Star donor level (over $1,000)."