Cassie Ramsey Busdeker remembers what an evening near the July 4 holiday meant back when she was a child in the 1970s and into the 1980s. Like so many others, there was just one place that families had marked on their calendars.
“When it got near the Fourth of July you knew you were going to load up in the car and head to Hill’s (Department Store) to watch the fireworks,” said Busdeker. “You had to get there early or you weren’t going to a place to park. I think the very last time I was there when Hill’s had the show they had just opened up K-Mart and we parked there and there was a big group of family and friends. I can easily remember that.”
Of course, so can thousands of others from this area. In fact, it was such a memorable event that last year WDTV General Manager Tim DeFazio thought it might be a good idea to bring it back. He teamed up with a few groups and decided to bring back the old Hill’s Department Store fireworks show – the only thing missing being Hill’s. DeFazio was pretty sure it would be well received. He was right.
“It was absolutely huge,” said Busdeker, WDTV’s promotions manager.
So huge, in fact, that it’s happening again – on Thursday, July 3. WDTV is teaming up once again with WVFX, Connect-Bridgeport and the North Central West Virginia Airport to present the second annual fireworks event on Bridgeport Hill. The fireworks will again be set off from near the City of Bridgeport’s water tank directly behind K-Mart giving folks from all around the area a chance to view the display.
“It was a great success and we hope to continue on with that success and have an even better turnout this year,” said Drew Pomeroy, Chairman of Connect-Bridgeport’s Board of Directors.
I can’t tell you how last year’s turnout compared to those when I was a kid. All I can fathom is that it was very similar, but on an even larger scale.
My own family piled into our old station wagon and my father felt the need to get there at what seemed like 1 p.m. for the near 9 p.m. show. Of course, that meant hours of fights between me and my two older siblings. And we weren’t alone.
I can remember looking all up and down U.S. Route 50 and seeing cars parked along the roadway and Hill’s parking lot being filled to the brim. We, of course, were on Route 50 so my father could get out into traffic as easily as possible.
I digress.
Busdeker said last year’s show was so big, in fact, that it turned into more than just a fireworks show. She said the event turned into an “event.”
“We had people actually tailgating in the parking lots at Home Depot and Big Lots. You had parking lots filled at New Pointe and Eastpointe,” said Busdeker. “We actually saw people setting up to watch as early as 3 p.m. and they made a full day out of it.”
Busdeker also had words of praise for police and fire personnel that assisted and will be back this year. She said despite the numbers watching, getting people out of various areas around the site proved to go as smoothly as possible.
“You had several thousand people watching, and not just in that immediate area. There were people watching from the (Meadowbrook) Mall and the Bridgeport Country Club,” said Busdeker. “We had so many people tell us that it made them think back to when they were younger and piled in cars to go watch and we hope to have the same success this year.”
Pomeroy thinks that’s going to be the case.
“I think nostalgia has something to do with the success because so many people remember those fireworks at Hill’s. It’s not the exact same location, but it’s close enough to make people remember,” said Pomeroy. “At the same time, any events that have fireworks associated with them have a tremendous turnout. When you combine everything in this situation, I wouldn’t expect anything but a big turnout.”
So get your lawn chairs ready. The show begins around dusk on July 3. I’m betting most of you will be there long before that.
Editor's Note: Photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.
Leave a Comment
Log in or create an account to post a comment.