KROY Sacramento 1984 July 4th Pyromusical Spectacular (0:35:18)

… War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength …
OUR BEST SHOW YET! Golden State Racing Association proudly presents the KROY July 4th Pyromusical Spectacular, this year featuring Fireworks by Grucci, winners of the Monte Carlo International Fireworks Competition, and a special laser performance by Laser Media, Inc. Come early for the best seating—see this show from the grandstand at Cal Expo. Racing begins at 3 p.m., fireworks and lasers at dark. General admission $3; 12 and under or 62 and over free! [Description by Uncle Ricky] A Celebration of American Freedom, the 1984 KROY Pyromusical Spectacular at the California State Exposition and Fairgrounds, featured three themed segments: 1984 – THE YEAR OF BIG BROTHER (lasers, synthesizers and techno-pop) THE TRADITION OF AMERICAN FREEDOM (patriotic, space and movie theme segment) 1984 – AS IT REALLY IS! (olympics, sky songs and grand finale) Bobby Ocean was listed as the official Narrator, and appears in the final segment (beginning at 23:30). The Olympics were held in Los Angeles in the summer of 1984, and this segment pays tribute to that International event. In addition to Bobby, performers included Richard W. Irwin as Big Brother, Traffic Manager Marilyn Curry as a Political Dissident, and Music Mixmaster Dennis Newhall as Patrick Henry. And of course, Dennis did all the music mixes with turntables, reel decks and razor blades. KROY and Fourth Of July fireworks shows go back to the ’60’s, when smaller, hand-fired shows were presented elsewhere. The electrically-fired “Pyromusicals” didn’t begin until 1982. That was the last year for 1240 KROY, which became 1240 KENZ by 1983. The 1984 show was believed to be the 12th consecutive year that KROY (AM or FM) presented a July 4th show at Cal Expo. By July 4th, 1985, KROY-FM had become KSAC-FM. However, KROY-FM returned to Sacramento and a KROY-FM July 4th Show returned to Cal Expo one last time in 1987.    The KROY Sacramento 1984 Pyromusical Spectacular was one of ten programs featured during the REELRADIO Pyromusical Spectacular Marathon on July 4, 1998.   ©1998 – 2014 Richard W. Irwin and REELRADIO, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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Welcome to the new ReelRadio!

This site is now operated by the North Carolina Broadcast History Museum. 

We want to thank the board of ReelRadio, Inc. for their stewardship since the passing of the founder Richard Irwin in 2018.  It has not been easy and they have maintained the exhibits for future generations to enjoy.

I met Richard Irwin, aka Uncle Ricky, when we were freshmen at East Carolina University.  We both had worked at local stations in our hometowns.  No one was more passionate about radio, especially Top 40 radio, than my friend Richard. 

Our goals with this site are to preserve the exhibits and make them available free of charge for people to enjoy.  Over time, we hope to add some airchecks to the site.  This will not happen immediately.  Time and resources will determine the future of new exhibits. 

Many thanks to the web folks at the Beasley Media Group for countless hours of work.  Again thanks to the board members of ReelRadio, Inc. for their faith in us. 

Richard Irwin’s hope was that his site would live on long after his passing. He said, “I hope REELRADIO will survive as my contribution to the ‘radio business’. The business is allowed to forget me, but the business should never forget the great era of radio that we celebrate here”.

We remember Richard and we thank him. If you enjoy this new site, we would appreciate a contribution. We hope you enjoy the new ReelRadio!

Carl Davis
Trustee
North Carolina Broadcast History Museum