Portales ready to celebrate Independence

The Portales Fireworks Show is back and bigger and better than ever before. Set for 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 4 at the Portales Softball Complex, on the city’s western edge.

“After being dropped by our previous fireworks contractor and being unable to secure someone new on short notice last year, we’re pleased to have a new company, Hog Wild Pyrotechnics, to do our show,” said Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Karl Terry.

The Arkansas company has produced the show in Clovis for the last few years. The company has designed the show to fire from three locations on the field and allow shooters to “paint the sky” with colorful fireworks. The show will also be choreographed to music with the soundtrack simulcast on KSEL Country radio at 105.9 FM.

“We definitely urge folks to come on into the Softball Park Complex for the best experience,” said Terry. “Parking will not be allowed along Industrial Drive but we have lots of room at the softball complex including a large lot to the north of the complex.”

Terry said there will be a sound system set up on the south side of the front parking lot at the complex. The Chamber staff will be passing out goodies for the kids while they last. They will also be making announcements as needed from that location. Just look for the “welcome” feather flag.

The Portales Police Department and Portales Fire Department are leading the safety plan for the event in cooperation with other agencies. They will have a command center set up at the walking path trailhead south of the fireworks site. There will also be fire department vehicles at various locations around the site if help is needed.

Portales Police remind folks that in order for everyone to stay safe and have a good time a few rules need to be followed. Those include:

No alcohol is allowed in city parks
Pets should be on a leash or preferably left at home
No personal fireworks will be allowed in surrounding parks during the event
Stay inside the mowed designated viewing and parking areas to avoid snakes, cactus and other hazards
Obey all road closures and traffic control officers
No one allowed on walking trails entire day of event
Promptly report any dangerous or hazardous activities to an officer on duty

The east side of the fireworks safety perimeter comes to Industrial Drive from the softball complex parking lot to the walking trails parking lot. Official personnel only will be allowed in the immediate area of the pond. No vehicle traffic will be allowed on the access road along the south side of the softball fields because of the fireworks perimeter and the walking trails also fall within the perimeter.

According to Terry, the public can monitor the Roosevelt County Chamber Facebook page for weather and safety updates as the event approaches.

The chamber takes on the community effort to raise funds for the show each year. The goal this year is $20,000.

“We are still short of that goal,” said Terry. “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).