As I watched the magnificent display of fireworks being set off from the Gimli pier on June 30, 2004, my mind wandered back in time. In 1971 I was Chairman of the Special Projects Committee of the Festival and I have always had a fascination with fireworks. The thought of exploding bombs breaking the quiet summer air of the end of the pier during the Festival long weekend excited me. What a tableau it would make in the night sky. The idea came to fruition in 1972. But I am getting ahead of the story.

Back in the ‘70s, the harbour was owned by the Federal government and to use it, you had to rent it. After some calls to find the appropriate person, a Mr. Meinz in Selkirk was most helpful with the necessary paper work. We rented the harbour for the weekend just like you would rent a cottage. The catch was we were now responsible for it and we had to have a Wharfinger. Here the choice was easy, Bill Harris was a respected friend and the Commodore of the Manitoba Yacht Club and captain of his own yacht. The easy-going rogue enthusiastically accepted the challenge.

All well and good but where do we get the money for the fireworks given that the project will be revenue negative? We decided to expand the Pancake Breakfast at the dock. So many hundreds of hungry people showed up that the 3 stoves we had rented were overwhelmed. But everybody got their breakfast… eventually! Then another first: we had a beer garden on the dock and it was a huge success (ice cold beer on a sweltering August day – what could be better?). So many volunteers made it possible -  I couldn’t begin to name them all. But I must mention Zeke Valgardson, my lake neighbour Dave McNabb, and the late John Kressock and of course, my family.

Back up a bit. To be able to buy and set off the fireworks we needed a Fireworks Supervisor. As none was qualified, I took the required safety course and received the necessary designation from Ottawa so we could now get on with the event. Fire Chief Bert Boulet and Deputy Chief Ray Sisk offered the services of the Gimli and District Fire Department (just in case) and the entire Fire Department crew were unwavering in their support.

We placed the mortars in barrels of sand we had lugged to the end of the dock and proceeded to blast the summer silence. The lake was dead calm and a hunter’s moon watched over a clear, starry sky. The shoreline and harbour facilities were crammed with thousands of expectant onlookers waiting for the first ever Festival fireworks. The crew was up to the challenge and orchestrated a dizzying display of colorful, noisy flashes.

A few years later, Lake Winnipeg decided to have some fun with us when the high water of 1974 forced us to set of our aerial display in rubber boots .The water was over the dock but the show went off without a hitch. Our soggy feet were quickly forgotten when we heard the cheers from shore after the first brilliant salvo.

The Gimli and District Fire Department took over the popular event in 1975. Their qualified people do a wonderful job of entertaining the children and adults of all ages. The fireworks display is a big part of the Festival each year and this is one kid who never tires of watching the mystical flashes in the summer night sky. Although these days, I get to watch from the shore.