Our History

Jim Scripps, many years ago, celebrated the Fourth of July by shooting off fireworks from a “rock” just off Charles Island. The population of Lopez would flock to the south end, in the area of Richardson, to view the fireworks. While not necessarily artistic, it was a great deal of fun. With Jim’s passing in 1986, three people gathered and began organizing a group to do the fireworks display for Lopez Island. They kept the fireworks on the south end, then moved the display to Fisherman Bay, where more people could view the show. It began small and has built up year after year to what it is now.

The show has gone way beyond just shooting off a beautiful display for the public. We have received publicity far and wide; the publicity has used such verbiage as “the largest all-volunteer, the most artistic, the biggest, the best,” etc. The Fireworks Committee, the Fire Department, the Sheriff Department, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Road Department all coordinate our efforts in traffic control, fire and medical safety. The Lions Club allows the Fireworks/Chamber of Commerce Float to lead the parade each year, collecting donations to support the fireworks display. We love it when even the smallest people (the kids) get such joy out of giving their pennies. The Lopez Yacht Club does a wonderful job of collecting donations from boats in the bay and moored on docks. In past years, the Community Center and its wonderful grounds welcomed a great Barbeque (now discontinued). For those of us who have been a part of this for many years, it is truly amazing. In past years, we have saturated Lopez with visitors; the Washington State Ferry System even sometimes acknowledged Lopez’s popularity with extra boats. We believe that the economy of Lopez has been strengthened by our show, not just on the fourth of July but for the whole year.