The Los Alamitos Racing, City of Cypress and KEZY 95.9 FM
1991 July 4th Pyromusical Spectacular
CREDITS
Director of Publicity: Dick Feinberg
Written and Directed by: Richard W. Irwin
Production Assistant: Kyle Bellport
Music Research: Dennis Newhall
Pyrotechnical Design: Ian Gilfillan
Program Announcer: Andy Stevens, KEZY-FM
Track Announcer: Joe Alto
Produced in Sacramento at STUDIO Z RECORDING
Special Thanks to
Zack Boles & David Whittaker
[Description by Uncle Ricky]
In 1991, the Harness Racing promoters couldn’t come to terms with the folks at the State fairgrounds in Sacramento, so they decided to present a July 4th Pyromusical Spectacular at their Los Alamitos meet in Orange County, California. The track there was just a few miles from Anaheim and Disneyland, and in fact, we could even see the regular Disney fireworks before our show. We decided to theme the show for the victorious veterans of Desert Storm, and titled it, “A Welcome Home”.
We were fortunate to work with long-time CHR leader KEZY-FM/Anaheim, and we broke attendance records for the track that evening. Andy Stevens agreed to be our narrator. That area of southern California was much more densely populated than our usual venue in Sacramento. Los Alamitos was surrounded by residential and business structures and there was much less “open space” around the track.
The show was much closer to the audience than ever before. We also had a larger pyrotechnics budget and when the show was over, it took nearly a half-hour for the smoke to clear away. The next day, we learned that some nearby homes had suffered a small amount of damage from shell fallout. One man was upset that the vinyl roof on his classic Pontiac caught fire.
And as always, Producer Don Early insisted on being part of the creative process. This year, he wanted to include an introduction and closing by Joe Alto, a veteran horse-racing track announcer known to both Northern and Southern California racing fans. I must admit, no one else sounded like Joe, and he really tied it all together.
Quoting from the official Program:
Tonight, for the first time ever, Los Alamitos Race Course hosts one of California’s largest and most spirited July 4th Celebrations: The JULY 4th PYROMUSICAL SPECTACULAR!
A PYROMUSICAL SPECTACULAR is not just a fireworks show! Every one of the thousands of effects you will see tonight has been electronically fired, on cue, from our Pyromusical multi-track tape. This tape takes months to produce, and tonight, we would like to share it with you for the first, and only time. We hope you share our excitement for an absolutely GRAND display of fireworks! We’re proud to Light the Sky for the Fourth of July, and Thank You for joining our celebration!