Labor Day Weekend Fireworks Extravaganza at Tahoe South
This pyrotechnic exhibition explodes over Lake Tahoe after dusk and features a variety of patterns, shapes and designs. The show features a simultaneous music broadcast that can be heard on local stations KRLT-FM 93.9 and KOWL - AM 1490. Show begins at 8:30pm.
The fireworks are visible from all over town. Below are some of the sweet spots to get a front row seat.
- The Tahoe Queen and M.S. Dixie II: South Shore’s two Mississippi paddlewheelers offer a unique opportunity to view the light show from the water. Board the Tahoe Queen for a Dinner Dance Cruise or the M.S. Dixie II for a Fireworks Cruise. Both feature live entertainment and fantastic views of the evening’s display. Log onto www.laketahoecruises.com.
- Nevada Beach: Located about two miles east of the Nevada casinos on Elk Point Road, Nevada Beach is the ideal setting for a family barbecue at the beach. A wide, sandy shoreline leads down to the sapphire waters of Lake Tahoe. Charcoal barbecues and picnic tables dot the beach. The view across the lake to the West Shore and Desolation Wilderness is unsurpassed. And the view of the fireworks display is one of the best in town.
- Timber Cove Marina: Offering front row seating that fills up fast.
- Bijou Community Park: Set back from the shoreline and boasts a skate park, disc golf course, dog park, golf course, and playground to keep the whole family entertained while holding your ideal viewing spot.
- The Tallac Historic Site: Off Emerald Bay Road, has an east-view perspective with nearby Baldwin Beach. For the more adventurous, the top of Mount Tallac offers a bird’s eye view of the fireworks extravaganza, but don’t forget your headlamp for the trek back down.
- Edgewood-Tahoe: Watch the fireworks show front and center from the beach to the south of Edgewood Tahoe's clubhouse. EdgewoodTahoe.com
- Lakeview Commons/El Dorado Beach: Corner of Hwy 50 and Lakeview Ave.
Please respect the environment and only leave your footprints behind.
Contact Information
Tahoe South
www.tahoesouth.com
(530) 544-5050
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Get Excited!! KGB Skyshow is coming to San Diego, CA on August 31st!
KGB SKY SHOW is the BIGGEST fireworks show West of the Mississippi AND a San Diego tradition that combines an amazing music soundtrack synchronized to the fireworks from all over the world! Don't miss KGB SKY SHOW XXXVIII on Saturday, August 31, 2013 at Qualcomm Stadium.
KGB and Sycuan Casino present: Sky Show XXXVIII on Saturday (8/31) immediately following the SDSU Aztecs season opener vs Eastern Illinois at Qualcomm Stadium! Kickoff is at 5pm and KGB will be broadcasting in the KGB/Aztec Village in section F1 of the parking lot, leading up to the game.
Check out the excitment of last year!
Operator Appreciation Night at Quakes Stadium 2013
On Thursday, August 8th, 2013 Pyro Spectaculars by Souza hosted their annual Operator Appreciation Night. Over 100 operators and their families attended the event. They enjoyed a night of baseball, food, and good friends! Thank you to the operators for their hard work and efforts over the July 4th holiday!
Check out the event highlights below.
Fresno Operator’s Seminar on April 20, 2013
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, March 23rd, 2013
The annual Fresno Pyrotechnic Personnel Training Seminar at Island Water Park in Fresno is on Saturday, March 23rd. The event details and address are listed below. Please click the read more button below to access the RSVP form.
Questions? Comments? Please contact Margo Lund (mlund@pyrospec.com)
Location:
6099 W Barstow Ave
Fresno, CA 93723
http://islandwaterpark.com/
(559) 277-6800
City of Beaumont Fourth of July Spectacular
The city of Beaumont put together a video to show the success of their Fourth of July. Thousands gathered at their Stewart Park for the Pyro Spectacular fireworks display. The residents of the city enjoyed a spectacular show and expressed their civic pride.
Check out the action below.
Beautiful Fireworks over the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Check out some outrageously beautiful photos from the Fourth of July show at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Congratulations to Mike Tockstein and the Pyro Innovations crew for a fantastic show!
See the photos at http://goo.gl/STXvE
Early 1900s to today: Rialto-based fireworks company helps US celebrate heritage
Compiled by Michel Nolan, staff writer
http://goo.gl/PLUXJ
Jim Souza, great-grandson of Manuel de Sousa and president and CEO of Pyro Spectaculars by Souza based in Rialto, is a pioneer of the new era of fireworks productions. He was the first to put the shows to music, creating Pyro Musicals with patriotic music and American history. In 1976, he created the Sky Concert, using the art of fireworks with music broadcast over radio airwaves. These types of shows are now industry standards. Fireworks have been an American tradition since the beginning of our country's history, he said. The first Independence Day show took place on July 4, 1777, in Philadelphia at the request of the founding fathers, Souza said. He went on to quote a newspaper report of the time, "At night there was a grand exhibition of fireworks, which began and concluded with 13 rockets on the commons." More than 300 years later, we're still celebrating. No longer the Inland Empire's secret, Pyro Spectaculars is staging about 400 fireworks extravaganzas across the country to celebrate America's heritage. Souza says he loves patriotism and celebrating America's independence,
Early 1900s: Manuel de Sousa and his family arrive in San Francisco from Portugal
Early 1900s: Sousa and his family begin creating fireworks for the Portuguese community's celebrations; he becomes known as Papagayo (meaning Parrot) for his colorful showmanship
Pre-World War II: Sons of Manuel de Sousa continue to carry on the tradition
1950s and '60s: Grandson Bob rekindles the flame after interruption by the war and begins creating shows for county fairs and Fourth of July shows, eventually joining forces with a large consumer fireworks company
1970: Pyro Spectaculars opens its doors in Southern California
1989: Bob's son, Jim, who took part in shows since he was 12, takes over Pyro Spectaculars
Since 1990: Under the leadership of Bob and Jim Souza, the company has developed into a powerhouse in the fireworks display industry and is now widely known as the "Fireworks Ambassadors to the World."
Current: Jim Souza, his brother Gary Souza, and his daughter Nancy Souza Gilfillan along with her husband Ian Gilfillan carry on the fireworks tradition.
Future: Jim's sons Paul and Christopher are well-established in the fireworks business nationally and internationally. Paul is charged with doing Americafest at the Rose Bowl with a 30-man crew; Christopher does Macy's in New York with a 50-man crew; they have been joined by Nancy and Ian's sons Matt and Kevin.
Usher creating ‘different take’ on July 4 fireworks
From: http://www.today.com/video/today/52383150
The eight-time Grammy winner chats about his upcoming task “curating” the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks spectacular, for which he singlehandedly selected all the music.
Check out the video below.
Global Superstar Usher, Macy’s, and Pyro Spectacular close the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the 37th Annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks®
On Wednesday, July 3 Macy's 4th of July Fireworks® Executive Producer Amy Kule, accompanied by global superstar Usher, will visit the New York Stock Exchange and ring The Closing Bell® to highlight the 37th Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks.
For this first time in the history of the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks' show, a superstar artist has collaborated with Macy's creative and pyrotechnic teams on the 4th of July Fireworks. Eight-time Grammy® Award-winning artist Usher has curated the overall design of the show, entitled "It Begins with A Spark."
The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks will be broadcast live on NBC on Monday, July 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT/MT nationwide and the fireworks soundtrack can be heard locally on radio stations 1010 WINS and Z-100.
Check out the video of the event below.
Inside the Pyrotechnics of Celebrate America
FOX40 cameras went inside the planning of the spectacular fireworks show planned for this year’s Celebrate America event. Pyro Spectaculars very own Kevin and Matt Gilfillan were featured in the segment. Check out the video below.
37th Annual Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks
Text, Photos and Videos from http://macys.com/fireworks.
CURATED BY USHER
"I'm really excited to add my flavor to the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks, the largest show in America. As an artist, it's important t hat I expand creatively into new areas. Working on the score and fireworks design has been a great experience that's allowed me to share my voice in a new way."
-- Usher
This year, Macy's creative team joined forces with superstar Usher to develop and present the 2013 Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular. Together in Jimi Hendrix's historic Electric Lady recording studios in Greenwich Village, Usher and the Macy's team collaborated to create a musical score t hat includes hit songs by artists Jimi Hendrix, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, Sam Cooke, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Frank Sinatra and, of course, Usher himself. Using t his score as a guide, Usher provided inspiration for the visual design for the show, partnering with Macy's pyrotechnic designers the Souza brothers.
"The 4th of July is a collective celebration of freedom and I hope that through the music and visuals, I've helped express the energy and passion of our nation. I can't wait for the countdown, we're getting ready to surprise the audience with the ultimate Independence Day party."
-- Usher
Check out http://macys.com/fireworks for more photos and videos.
Pyro Spectaculars and Pyrotechnic Innovations Form Training Partnership
The partnership gives Pyro Spectaculars by Souza exclusive access to the well-developed operator recruitment resources of Pyrotechnic Innovations, in addition to collaborating in a new program that aims to take pyrotechnic operator knowledge, public safety, and show performance to a higher standard.
Pyro Spectaculars by Souza and Pyrotechnic Innovations announced today that they have formed an alliance to help recruit, train, and retain qualified pyrotechnic operators in the United States. Building from the online platform that Pyrotechnic Innovations has developed, they plan to pioneer an industry-leading program, which utilizes both academic, and field exercises to methodically increase the knowledge of each pyrotechnic operator throughout their career in the fireworks industry. Jim Souza, President and Chief Creative Officer of Pyro Spectaculars by Souza tells us, “I’m excited about working with Pyro Innovations in this new collaboration. Pyro Innovations has a strong history of finding and training great operators. I’m confident that our joint efforts will yield tremendous value for both organizations.”
Pyro Spectaculars by Souza, one of the largest, most respected fireworks display companies in the world, whose show quality, operator knowledge, and safety are already industry leaders, will once again be moving the bar higher. “We are going to take the best and make it even better,” said Mike Tockstein, President and CEO of Pyrotechnic Innovations. Tockstein continues, “We are not only going to create a more standardized training program, but also opportunities for any of our pyrotechnic operators to add more advanced skills to their fireworks knowledge bank, enabling them to elevate themselves well above what normally constitutes being a licensed pyrotechnic operator.”
Increasing opportunities for that operator is not their only goal. “Safety around large display fireworks is always paramount,” says Tockstein. Souza, who is past president of the American Pyrotechnic Association (APA) and is currently on the NFPA Fireworks Code Committee, goes on to comment, “Pyro Spectaculars has a long history of leading the pyrotechnics industry in operator and fire service training. This program is the natural progression of Pyro Spectaculars and will ensure our operators will continue our 35 years of safety leadership in the industry.” The program aims to create a lifecycle, which continually trains, updates, and qualifies operators to ensure public safety and outstanding show performance.
Additional details of the program will be released as they become available. You can apply to become a pyrotechnic apprentice by visiting Pyro Spectaculars by Souza at http://pyrospec.com or Pyrotechnic Innovations at http://pyroinnovations.com.
About Pyro Spectaculars by Souza:
Pyro Spectaculars by Souza is an American pyrotechnics company based in California. Known for designing and producing thousands of fireworks displays every year around the world, Pyro Spectaculars by Souza has been responsible for the special effects at multiple Olympic Games, NFL Super Bowls, MLB World Series and Bowl Championship Series games. In addition, Pyro Spectaculars annually produces the two largest Fourth of July fireworks celebrations in the United States, the Macy*s Fourth of July spectacular in New York and Americafest in Pasadena. By far the largest fireworks company on the West Coast, Pyro Spectaculars produces approximately 400 local fireworks shows over the July 4th holiday. Under the leadership of Jim Souza, Pyro Spectaculars has continued to be America’s Premiere Pyrotechnic Production Company, with unmatched experience, skills, resources and qualified personnel.
For more information about Pyro Spectaculars by Souza please visit, http://pyrospec.com.
About Pyrotechnic Innovations:
Pyrotechnic Innovations, also widely known as Pyro Innovations, was founded by Mike Tockstein in 2002, and is dedicated to providing a means of entering into the field of pyrotechnics, to communicate the cutting edge standards in pyrotechnics, and all associated training. This is accomplished through field exercises and their extensive Fireworks Training pages, which include tons of information; with step-by-step video explanations you won't find anywhere else, on the methods used to set up a professional fireworks display.
For more information about Pyrotechnic Innovations please visit http://pyroinnovations.com/