Vancouver ready to have a blast

If You Go

Independence Day at Fort Vancouver

What: Annual celebration features family activities including games and music, kids’ patriotic parade, historical re-enactments and fort barracks tours and much more — all culminating in one of the largest fireworks shows in the area

When: Gates open at 8 a.m., event hours are 12 noon to 10:30 p.m., July 4. Fireworks show begins at 10:05 p.m. sharp

Where: Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Evergreen Boulevard and Fort Vancouver Way

Cost: $5 in advance or $7 at the gate, free for ages 12 and younger, $10 for nearby parking; $50 for Prime Viewing admission or $25 for ages 6 to 21, free for ages 5 and younger, first 300 Prime Viewing ticket sales get a free parking pass

On the Web: 4th.fortvan.org

You’ve probably heard that Independence Day fireworks have been canceled in various towns in California, and elsewhere, due to drought and fire risk.

But Independence Day at our own Fort Vancouver? Are you kidding?

“We are working closely with the Fire Marshall’s Office and Pearson Field. We are taking all precautions to keep it safe,” said Cara Cantonwine, program director at the Fort Vancouver National Trust. “This year is dry. There’s definitely more advance consideration of the field itself.”

There’s always a careful mowing and raking of the whole area, she said, in order to cut down on “loose combustibles” that could ignite when embers fall from the sky. There’s always a fire truck stationed right beside the fireworks launch pad just north of Pearson’s runway, she said.

And the careful pyrotechnicians deployed by Western Display, the Canby, Ore., contractor that puts on the fort’s show, always use tin foil — hundreds and hundreds of feet of it, Cantonwine said — to insulate each individual firework shell before it’s packed into its launch chamber. That protects every shell from every other shell and ensures there isn’t a spectacularly fiery chain reaction of the sort you really don’t want to see down on the ground.

Due to this year’s hot, dry conditions, she added, that ground is likely to get a wholesale watering-down, too — in a large “disbursement area” around that launch pad. Making that call is up to the fire marshal, she said.

Cantonwine added that while some equipment is delivered and set up days in advance of the fireworks show, the live and active shells don’t show up until the very day of the extravaganza.

And what an extravaganza it’s going to be, Cantonwine added. Larger shells and trickier tricks are on tap this year.

“There are going to be different effects, different tricks and manipulations than we’ve ever seen before,” Cantonwine said. And, the entertainment, games and activities for kids and families will be a nice mix of standards and new stuff — from contemporary dance music to Japanese drumming on the Main Stage, from vintage sack races at the fort to glider-building and rocket-launching at Pearson.

Of course, the fireworks show can also be viewed from vantage points all over downtown and west Vancouver — but the price of admission to the Fort’s event ($5 in advance, until 8 p.m. July 3; $7 at the gate) buys you a full day of activities and entertainment before the 10:05 p.m. fireworks start time. If you feel like digging much deeper into your pocket, the Prime Viewing Area at Pearson — where you’ll enjoy exclusive entertainment and a buffet as well as not just seeing but feeling the fireworks — costs $50 for adults and $25 for youth.

All the information you need — the day’s entertainment and activities schedule, ticket prices and ordering, frequently asked questions and a detailed map of the incredibly busy parade grounds — is at 4th.fortvan.org The prime sponsor of the event is Bank of America.

Other hot spots

Fort Vancouver isn’t the only place in Clark County where Independence Day gets a big, bright, noisy celebration. Notable fireworks shows, homegrown parades and more have sprung up in east Clark County, Ridgefield and even the west-county neighborhood of Felida. Here’s a rundown of events that may be a little closer to where you are than downtown Vancouver:

• Fireworks at Port of Camas-Washougal, 6 to 11 p.m. July 4. Enjoy music by Sky Bound Blues Band and 5 Guys Named Moe before a fireworks show launches over the Columbia River. Marina Park, 24 South A St., Washougal. Free. portcw.com

• Felida Children’s Parade, 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 4. Annual community parade in Felida Community Park is open to all, with after-parade activities including music by the Vancouver Community Concert Band, picnic games, community displays and refreshments. Everyone is encouraged to bring lunch and wear patriotic costumes. Felida Community Park, parking lot west of Northwest 36th Avenue on 122nd Street. Free. Call 360-573-4030 or 503-384-5492

• Ridgefield 4th of July Celebration, 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. July 4. Annual town celebration begins with pancake breakfast and continues with fun runs, 11 a.m. parade, barbecue lunch, kids’ day in the park, music and dancing, 10 p.m. fireworks. Events are at Ridgefield Community Center, 210 N. Main Ave.; Refuge Overlook Park, Pioneer Street and Main Avenue; Abrams Park, Division Street off North 5th Avenue. Free, $5 for kids zone, $20 to $40 for fun runs. www.ridgefield4th.com