Saturday, July 4, 2009

Socorro celebrates the Fourth of July

Paul Harden For El Defensor Chieftain

The Fourth of July has long been a favorite holiday in Socorro. Here's a look at some July 4th celebrations of the past, and how our famous fireworks show came about.

Fourth of July, 1923

One well documented Fourth of July bash in Socorro was that of 1923. One of Socorro's favorite sons, Holm Bursum, had served as sheriff, mayor, territorial legislator, and helped draft the statehood constitution adopted in 1912. In 1921, Bursum was elected to represent New Mexico on Capitol Hill as a U.S. senator. In 1923, he returned to Socorro to spend the Fourth of July holiday with family and friends.

The city fathers decided to take advantage of having their very own U.S. senator in town and planned a host of activities. The Fourth of July began with a patriotic speech by Sen. Bursum from the steps of the Socorro County Courthouse. This was followed by Abran Abeyta, the Mayor of Socorro, and several other city and county officials. The speeches were echoed by A.C. Torres, publisher of the El Defensor newspaper, who translated the speeches into Spanish. The Socorro Chieftain reported there was a huge crowd on hand to hear the patriotic speeches in both English and Spanish.

Following the speeches, a parade departed the courthouse and traveled south along Center Street, north on Sixth Street to the Val Verde Hotel, then west along Manzanares to the Plaza. A historic photo of this parade was printed in a 1973 Defensor Chieftain showing the odd mix of horse-drawn wagons and early automobiles.

At the plaza, food, games and dancing continued throughout the hot summer day. The crowd fought off dehydration thanks to a beer wagon provided by the Illinois Brewery and the Hammel family. Shortly after sundown, fireworks filled the Plaza. The party must have continued, as the Socorro Chieftain reported "An old fashioned 'fandango' lasted until a very late hour."

The festivities included an automobile race between Albuquerque and Magdalena. Socorro was a designated gas stop. In mid-afternoon, Fourth of July celebrants lined the streets to welcome the racing automobiles as they passed through town.

The Depression Years

Newspapers reported various Fourth of July activities in Socorro throughout the 1930s. The activities usually consisted of a parade of Socorroans showing off their cars, most fairly well beaten from the ravages of the Great Depression, and a few floats, some still horse drawn.

There is no mention of public fireworks displays. However, small fireworks were readily available at several of Socorro's stores. Advertisements for this class of fireworks are found in Socorro's newspapers back to the 1920s.

There was a fireworks display on the Plaza on July 3-4, 1937 to commemorate the opening of the new Loma Theater. The movie was "Captain Courageous," which, according to the newspaper account, used "our new sound system and two projectors featuring almost no interruption when changing film reels."

Another popular Fourth of July activity that grew out of the Depression years was the San Acacia Rodeo. This was a popular activity into the 1960s. In 1952, for example, the Chieftain reported, "The big event will once again be the San Acacia Rodeo. Starting at 1 p.m., the rodeo will include calf roping, barrel races, bronc riding, steer riding and Brahma bull riding for prize money. Ernest Peralta, Socorro County Sheriff, will furnish the livestock. Admission is 75 cents for adults and 35 cents for children."

The 1940 War Years

At the onset of World War II, the Office of Defense Transportation canceled most forms of celebrations to conserve gasoline. Apparently, this didn't set well with editor Thomas Dabney of the Socorro Chieftain, as he wrote, "The ODT has ordered all state and county fairs and other activities to be canceled, a request pretty well ignored in the western states. The ODT order is extremely vague — too much vagueness coming from Washington. The people of New Mexico are willing to make whatever sacrifices are needed for the war effort, but only persons of diseased minds delight in unnecessary punishment ... and New Mexican's do not take that form."

Apparently, the opinion of Washington hasn't changed much over the years.

Extreme wartime rationing did seem to bring a temporary halt to public activities in Socorro. The San Acacia Rodeo, however, continued on as a popular Fourth of July event.

New Mexico Tech Fireworks

Today, the Fourth of July is celebrated in Socorro with various activities. However, without a doubt, it is highlighted by the annual fireworks show and the entertainment offered at Macey Center. For a town the size of Socorro, we are very fortunate to have such an extensive array of activities, normally offered only by much larger towns.

It makes one wonder, "When did the New Mexico Tech fireworks begin?"

The School of Mines was in a severe decline during and after World War II with an enrollment of barely 100 students. In 1946, Dr. E.J. Workman was hired as the new president to change the situation. And, indeed, he did. Workman jumped in with both feet and quickly developed new areas of research in atmospheric physics and explosives. In 1947, he formed the Terminal Effects Research and Analysis group. Later, he built Langmuir Lab atop South Baldy peak, which became a world recognized facility for lightning and atmospheric research.

One of Workman's goals was to improve the relationship between Socorro and the small college. Using the expertise of the TERA team, the first fireworks show apparently occurred in either 1947 or 1948 from the college campus. For the first many years, the public display consisted of commercial fireworks, and those crafted by TERA explosive experts.

A short article in the July 8, 1948, Chieftain seems to confirm this. The article reports how a generator failure caused the electricity to go off in Socorro for three hours, at 6:30 p.m. on July 4, adding, "The failure of the lights at least gave people the opportunity to concentrate on the fireworks display on the Fourth."

In 1951, Dr. Workman changed the name of the college from School of Mines to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, or NMIMT, to reflect it's expanding disciplines. Special Fourth of July fireworks celebrated the name change. The following year it was reported, "the staff of NMIMT are having a 4th of July picnic on the lawn on the campus. Fireworks and a picnic supper will be the order of the evening." It seems by 1952, the college fireworks display was a regular event.

In 1957, the Chieftain announced, "The annual 4th of July fireworks display will be set off at 8 p.m. just east of the new swimming pool. Members of the fireworks committee are Lamar Kempton (Director of TERA) and Bill Silva."

Unfortunately, the fireworks display was not held that year as planned. The Chieftain explained, "A .83 inch rain on July 4 flooded streets, closed Highway 85, and cancelled the fireworks displays."

Evidently, the nearly annual July 4th down-pour has been a long standing Socorro tradition as well.

TERA Explosives Engineer Phil McLain remembers well watching the annual fireworks display in 1958 from the Socorro General Hospital. It was a very special occasion, he and his wife were awaiting the birth of their baby. A baby girl, Kelly, was born at 9:37 p.m., which allowed her father to finish watching the fireworks. Nice kid!

Later, McLain succeeded Kempton as Director of TERA and ran the fireworks display for years. TERA is now known as EMRTC — the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center. EMRTC is the explosives research branch of Tech that still conducts the annual fireworks show.

Phil McLain's daughter Kelly also chose explosives research as a career. Being born on July 4th obviously put black powder in her veins. In what seems an odd twist of destiny, today's Tech fireworks program is now run by Kelly, a research engineer at EMRTC.

When you watch the Tech fireworks display, you can thank the long traditions of New Mexico Tech, EMRTC and the McLain family.

July 4, 1976

Socorro's 1976 Fourth of July, like the rest of the country, was a very special holiday. After all, it was the 200th birthday of the United States.

The holiday was launched Friday evening, July 2, with a dance at the Socorro County Fairgrounds. Saturday was the first day of a two-day bicentennial "76 Spirit of Play" festivities at Sedillo Park, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. The event was well attended with a barbecue lunch and dinners, sack races, games, and even a "Dunk the Dignitaries" tank.

The Chieftain announced that the fireworks display would be "the best and largest in Socorro's history."

This was due to the City of Socorro providing financial assistance to help with the bicentennial fireworks show. The fireworks lasted for 90 minutes and consisted of 200 aerial displays to mark the 200th birthday of our country.

The City of Socorro has been a financial supporter of the annual fireworks display ever since, which has allowed it to grow into the magnificent show it is today.

Where were you on our nation's 200th birthday? The next question is where will you be on Jan. 6, 2012? No, not because that's when the Mayan calendar ends, but because that will be New Mexico's 100th birthday as a state. It's bound to be a party. And you can bet, New Mexico Tech and the City of Socorro will ensure a magnificent fireworks show that year.

Fireworks Safety

The manufacture and sale of fireworks are controlled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Rules that went into effect in 1976 outlawed cherry bombs, M80s, and other energetic explosive devices. The CPSC estimates about 10,000 persons are injured each year by fireworks from burns, loss of eyesight and other serious injuries. The majority of these injuries are to children between 10 and 16 years of age.

Today, local fireworks vendors must obtain a license from the N.M. State Fire Marshal and the City of Socorro. Vendors are also subject to periodic inspections by the Socorro Fire Department to ensure compliance with Socorro County and state laws.

Many states have outlawed fireworks sales all together to prevent injuries. The moral of the story for Socorroans is to purchase and use only legal fireworks, use them in a proper and safe manner, and supervise children under 16 years of age. Keeping injuries at a minimum will ensure fireworks will remain legal in New Mexico and Socorro County.

Fireworks Vendors

The Fourth of July is a family affair. This is also true with most of the fireworks vendors found in Socorro. Many have been operated by the same families for years. They have a history in itself.

Johnny Gonzales started his first fireworks stand on Spring Street, in 1974, shortly after graduating from high school. After 35 years, he still operates the Spring Street store — the longest operating fireworks stand in Socorro. He also operates other stands along California Street.

Leroy Gutierrez started his family fireworks stand in 1998. The Gutierrez Fireworks stand is still operated by the family, now under the ownership of Vanessa Garza. It is located south of Ace Hardware.

Another family run business is the Flaming Fireworks stand next to the Socorro Springs Brewery. Lloyd Martinez, wife Mary, and daughter Bethany, have operated this stand — well, actually a tent — for several years.

Some of these family run fireworks stands raise money for local and civic activities. For example, Planet Fireworks, next to Auto Zone, is run by Michael and Shannon Armijo to help fund the Valley Track Club. This year, proceeds will be used to send the children to the regional track meet in Provo, Utah. They are helped by their daughter, Dezirae, and sons Michael Jr., Marcus and Jordan.

Michael Armijo has the distinction of being Socorro's only fireworks vendor to be struck by lightning. Three years ago, during the annual July 4th rain storm, their tent was struck by lightning. Although full of people escaping the rain at the time, no one was injured — other than some raw nerves.

Meet the Big Boys

Unlike the consumer fireworks purchased by the public, professional fireworks are true pyrotechnic explosives. Those used for the Socorro show are launched "shells" that range from 3 inches to 8 inches in diameter and about 3-4 feet high.

Between the mortar launch charge, firing charges, and the explosives for the heart of the fireworks, each shell has the explosive power of a stick or two of dynamite. One slip could be deadly.

Due to the extreme dangers, public fireworks displays are conducted only by specially licensed and trained people, often charging a healthy fee for their services. Fortunately for Socorro, we have a highly trained team of explosive experts at EMRTC that truly enjoy putting on the annual show.

Traditionally, a fireworks shell is launched by lighting a fuse, which ignites the launch engine. As it propels its explosive payload high into the air, usually 500-1,000 feet high, the fuse continues to burn. When the device reaches its highest altitude, the time-delay fuse ignites the fireworks package and produces the colorful bursts, the explosive "boom" or other sounds. Chemicals, mixed with the fireworks explosives, is what produces the different colors.

This Year at Tech

Like so many years in the past, Fourth of July at New Mexico Tech will consist of bands performing live music throughout the day. Children's activities include a large water slide, a foam party, balloon jump and other events. These activities are held at Macy Center and sponsored by the Performing Art Series; Ronna Kalish is the director of PAS. Chartwells serves a barbecue meal for $6.50 per plate from noon to 6 p.m. All activities are open to the public.

Of course, the grand finale is the famous fireworks show at 9:30 p.m. The EMRTC technicians have prepared a special show this year. Kelly McLain shared the "behind the scenes" information. This will be the first year that all fireworks will be electrically fired. This will allow numerous fireworks to be launched in very quick succession for a spectacular display. The opening and final sequences will be a brick of 36 fireworks fired simultaneously.

"This year, we will be firing 520 shells in a 20 minute period," McLain revealed. "EMRTC hopes the citizens of Socorro enjoy the new electrically fired show and they have a safe and wonderful holiday."

The generous donations of New Mexico Tech, the City of Socorro and EMRTC over the years have made these improvements possible to continue giving Socorro the best fireworks show possible.

Likewise, the people of Socorro thank these sponsors, and the EMRTC team, for a spectacular fireworks show, year after year. If you see Kelly McLain on July 4th, remember, it's her birthday, too!

Now that the mystery of when the first Tech fireworks show began, there's one mystery left: When was the "M" first placed on Socorro Peak?

All photos by Paul Harden unless otherwise noted. Some of the references used in this article: Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site, www.cpsc.gov; numerous issues of El Defensor and Socorro Chieftain newspapers; interviews with Phil and Kelly McLain, Kay Brower, Bob Eveleth, Dorothy Brooks, Michael Armijo, Johnny Gonzales, Lloyd Martinez and Uriah Gutierrez-Armijo.

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