Lake Havasu Hosts 20th Pyrotechnic Western Winter Blast Feb 11-15, 2009

For this one and only time, it’s a 5-day event. TWO public displays by two of the best: Aaron Mayfield (AM Pyro) and Sam Bruggema (Pyro Spectaculars). Comets, mines, candles, LaRosa-family Italian shells, Japanese shells, Spanish one-shots, 10s, 12s and a 16. Joe Bartolotta and Fireworks America will pay tribute to our late Rita Oesterle. Matt Sutcliffe and Premier Pyrotechnics are now building their own shells. Bill Zuber will be back with his gas bombs and ghost mines.

Do we really need to go on? Because we can and Kief surely will. This is it friends… our 20th year and we’re doing it right. Your entire staff has been working on this for months so let’s rock  – register online now!

Tuesday: Setup. Anyone who can join us on-site to help, please do!
Tuesday Night: Pre-Blast Dinner at Mudshark’s, now only $15/person (reduced from $20) CASH ONLY
Wednesday: Manufacturing and Open Shooting begins!
Wed Afterglow: at Mudshark’s
Thurs-Sun Afterglows: at the Quality Inn

HOTELS Reserve quickly, they will go fast. You might notice that prices at area hotels are either significantly reduced or have not been increased from last year.

SEMINAR information to be released as we get closer . . . Allen, Jim and Steve are hard at work.

MANUFACTURING Send Bill Ryan your form.

VENDORS Contact Lynden King.

And if all of this isn’t enough.. here’s a little more: show your badge at Mudshark’s when you order your meal and Scott (the Owner) will take 15% off your bill. Longer event, more displays, cheaper rooms and better food. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Sign up now and we’ll see you in February!

Western Winter Blast is a four-day fireworks convention in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, held annually by the Western Pyrotechnic Association (WPA) during the President’s Day weekend, in which pyrotechnicians gather to buy, manufacture, and shoot both professional and consumer-grade fireworks. Those wishing to purchase and shoot 1.3G (professional) fireworks must go through a safety seminar, after which they are allowed to shoot under the association’s ATF permit. The event is highlighted by product demonstrations by various fireworks companies and a nightly ‘Afterglow Party’ at which free refreshments are served.

Western Winter Blast activities are only open to members of the WPA as well as their immediate families.

Fireworks displays are set up for public viewing by major fireworks companies from across the nation, as well as club members. Thousands of people view the displays nightly. Some set their vacations up in Lake Havasu just to come see the shows which are some of the best in the world.

The first Winter Blast was held in Mesquite, NV, in 1990, and the event has been held at the SARA Park Highway 95 Racetrack in Lake Havasu City since 1991.

Despite being held in February, the event has only been rained upon once, in 2005.

Source: Western Pyrotechnic Assn.