Fireworks a family affair
HARRISON KEELY, Sentinel Writer

There were a great deal of snaps, crackles and yes, especially pops, at the 2007 Clay County Celebration of Freedom this year. The annual fireworks extravaganza, which is hosted at Chatuge Dam, probably wouldn't have made it off the ground if it wasn't for the great lengths to which one local couple took to see it soar.

Gary and Kathy Slagle, the coordinators for the event, tell a unique story of how they first got involved with the patriotic pyrotechnics. Kathy said she remembers the times she would come to the dam when Howard Barnard served as coordinator. After almost two decades at the helm, Barnard passed away in 2001.

"There were no fireworks that year," she recalled. "My husband and I just came out on the lake like everyone else, looking for the fireworks, and there weren't any." Kathy said that the following year she and her husband worked in corroboration with Barnard's widow to reinstate the tradition in 2002.

Now, six years later, celebrating the Fourth of July holiday in Clay County is a main attraction. Thousands of people have attended the event at the lake, arriving early in the day to set up lawn chairs and board motorboats.

For the last two years the local Civitan Club has provided concessions for the massive crowd and helped to sell t-shirts.

"It's a great help because we used to [manage] the food ourselves and that was another enormous task to do," Kathy said. "A lot of the work has to do with getting sponsors, [creating] a t-shirt design...and getting a band lined up."

This year's music was performed by local band "The Front Porch Rockers." But music and t-shirts aren't the only elements that characterize the event. With a bold sign reading "save a life," 2005 Hayesville High School graduate Kelly LaForte was offering two free kittens to a loving home.

LaForte said she rescued the kittens that morning and promptly called the humane society who responded by saying they would have to "put them down."

"I figured I would try and give them a chance," she said.

Local Brittany Updike said she had never before been to Chatuge for the fireworks. "I just like fireworks period. I love them." Last year Updike sat on her porch from houme and saw both the Hiawassee and Hayesville fireworks, though she said Hayesville has a much better display.

"We've never had a count of how many attend," Kathy said. " It's really hard to figure out how many people are here."

The Slagles begin preparing for the July event as early as February, contacting sponsors to raise money. After lining up a list of committed sponsors, the order for the fireworks is made and paid for by April 1.

With an estimated 1,300 bursts this year, the display is hardly inexpensive.

"We lose money every year," Kathy said. "We usually have about a $15,000 budget. My husband are in it to the tune of about $22,000 out of our personal money for the last six years. We just keep hoping it will turn around."

Without recovering any funds from concession sales, the Slagles have turned to selling t-shirts, but only make back about what it costs to print them. In addition, they sell glowing toys, which dot the dam with a dose of piercing hues once nightfall blankets the area.

Are there any other methods of making back every dollar? "We're not allowed to [charge an entrance fee]," Kathy said. "This is a TVA facility. There's no parking fee and no admission that's allowed. We've put out donation buckets in the past but they don't really amount to much."

The Slagle's family makes up the fireworks committee. Their 22-yearold son brings his college buddies to the area to help set up the event. Kathy and Gary each have a brother in Virginia who makes the trip to be of assistance as well.

"They've been out here since 8 this morning wiring the fireworks to the electronic control board," Kathy said. "It's an enormous effort. There are probably about eight to ten guys who have been doing nothing but wiring fireworks all day."

Getting manpower has always been a challenge, according to Kathy. "There's always a need for help...It's just really difficultto get people to volunteer. Most of the people who are helping are people we're bringing from our family and friends. The community should be more involved."

The Slagles arrive a full day before the fireworks to raise tents and wake up early the morning after the event to clean up the site.

Planning a party for the whole county definitely includes the risks of financial, volunteer and weather nightmares, but the Slagles look past any cost focus on the service that they can provide the county, and in turn, America, with the fireworks. Seeing people enjoy the colors that light up the sky is the highlight that keeps them excited about returning the next summer.

To comment on this article, e-mail Harrison at hkeely@gmail.com.

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