Bend has hosted its annual fireworks show from the top of Pilot Butte every year since 1976. For days before the holiday, the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon Department of Forestry, Bend Fire & Rescue and professional pyrotechnicians prepare the butte by clearing brush, setting up fire hoses and creating a safety plan.

And every year, Pilot Butte catches fire.

“It’s an annual tradition,” said State Park Manager Joe Wanamaker with a laugh. “Normally, fireworks aren’t allowed in any state park. This is an exception.”

Even though sparks inevitably fly during Bend’s Fourth of July celebration, there’s no cause for concern, said Bend Fire & Rescue Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki. That’s because 25 firefighters and several engines are already waiting to tame the blaze. Crews have even set up 2,000 feet of fire hose snaking up and around the side of the butte that they charge with water before the show starts.

“Know that there are firefighters up here,” Derlacki told The Bulletin as crews prepared for Thursday’s show on top of the butte. “It’s going to be dark. You might not quite see them all, but if you’re looking closely enough, you’ll see headlamps moving around … not only during the show but for about an hour after.”

Derlacki said it’s important for people watching the show to know that if they can see the flames, crews on the butte already know about it. They’ve been doing this for 50 years, he said, and operations flow like a well-oiled machine.

“Please don’t call 911. We know about what’s going on up here. We have spotters in the community looking at the butte from the base to give us a better vantage point … Just leave it to the professionals,” he said.

While there is a trade-off for having the fireworks show on top of Pilot Butte, Derlacki said the benefits are huge. Having such a visible show encourages fewer people to hold their own pyrotechnic displays and the topography of the butte allows crews to contain any fires that may start easily.

A year for breaking records

The atmosphere on top of Pilot Butte on Wednesday wasn’t just that of focused preparation, there was also excitement about plans for this year’s fireworks show. Chris Mattison, with Sure Shot Fireworks, has run the show for the past seven years, and before that, it was his dad. It’s been the same crew for 25 years, he said, and this year the show will be bigger than ever.

“We just went all-out last year, and then this year, we’re breaking records,” Mattison said. “Last year, the biggest shell that we shot off was 12 inches, and that was a big show. That one was about 15-20 pounds for one shell. Well, this year, we are shooting a 16-inch shell … It’s the largest shell that’s ever been shot off this butte and of this size in Central Oregon.”

The 16-inch shell is 55 pounds of pyrotechnics in a small package. The explosion will be as big as the butte itself, Mattison said, which is why it’s so important people stay away from the butte while the professionals are setting things up.

“There’s live explosives,” Mattison said. “Worst case scenario — an act of God or something like that — I don’t want anybody on this butte while we go to work, while the firefighters go to work.”

But Mattison said there’s no reason for anyone to worry too much about worst-case scenarios. With minimal wind in the forecast, he expects everything to go off without a hitch. What’s he most looking forward to? The cheers that float up to the top of Pilot Butte after the show.

“We are really excited that we got blessed with really beautiful weather,” he said. “As a pyrotechnician, that’s what we really look forward to. And then (after the show) if you could be as loud as possible, we want to hear you. I want to hear what Bend sounds like.”

How to watch

How to watch

The Bend fireworks show will begin at 10 p.m. on Thursday and can be viewed anywhere in where Bend Pilot Butte is visible. The show is sponsored by Subaru Bend and its partners.

Fireworks are banned in Bend but legal in most of Redmond