Dr Pepper Snapple Team Up to Bring Dallas Phallic Imagery

More details after the jump.

DR PEPPER SNAPPLE GROUP FAIR PARK FOURTHTO RANK AMONG AMERICA’S TOP 20 FIREWORK SHOWS

Free Independence Day celebration to feature spectacular Grucci fireworks,

plus a patriotic program with the Dallas Wind Symphony, free museum exhibits and more

DALLAS – Stating that Fair Park will host “a display that will be the biggest in North Texas and rank among the nation’s top 20 fireworks program,” Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert today unveiled plans for the Dr Pepper Snapple Group FAIR PARK FOURTH celebration, to be held Friday, July 4th, 2008, from 5 – 10 p.m. throughout the grounds of Fair Park. Presented by Friends of Fair Park, the evening will include a patriotic program featuring the Dallas Wind Symphony, free admission to all the Fair Park museums, musical performances and plenty of Fourth-of-July food favorites. The family-friendly celebration will be free and open to the public. The fireworks will ignite at 9:30 p.m.

The fireworks program will be created by Fireworks by Grucci, the internationally renowned fireworks family that has produced shows for the Olympic Games, numerous presidential inaugurations, the Statue of Liberty Centennial and many world fairs.

The fireworks will be synchronized to choreographed music with live broadcast on WRR 101.1 FM. Viewing areas with sound will be located in the park along the Esplanade, Lagoon, Cotton Bowl Plaza and Big Tex Circle. Attendees are invited to bring in lawn chairs, blankets and picnic-type foods. Concessions will be available for sale.

The Dr Pepper Snapple Group FAIR PARK FOURTH will kick off at 5 p.m. with special programming and events at the various Fair Park museums. Visitors can cool off in and browse all the museums, which will be open FREE of charge from 5 – 8 p.m. that day. The City of Dallas’ Office of Cultural Affairs

Neighborhood Touring Program will feature musical artists performing adjacent to each museum from

5 – 8 p.m. The Texas Skyway Gondola ride and all of the park’s water features will be running.

An hour-long patriotic program featuring the Dallas Wind Symphony will get underway at 8:15 p.m. Then the spectacular Fireworks by Grucci program will begin at 9:30 p.m. The event closes at 10 p.m.

The title sponsor of A Fair Park Fourth is Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Media sponsors are The Dallas Morning News, WFAA Channel 8, WRR 101.1 FM and Jack FM. The Dr Pepper Snapple Group FAIR PARK FOURTH benefits Friends of Fair Park, a 501 c 3 organization. The event is the City of Dallas’ official fireworks celebration.

The “fireworks makings”

According to Phil Butler of Fireworks by Grucci, the fireworks program will take four days to set up, 26 hours of choreography, six pyrotechnicians dedicated to the project working 160 man hours to set up, 25 firing battering and 396 firing cues.

Approximately 20 tons of sand is necessary to fill the firing batteries, and 20 miles of wire is needed to circuit fire the batteries. The most exclusive shell, which costs $150, is the “Gold Split Comet, the Grucci signature shell.” The fireworks program requires lumber for set-up equivalent to what is used to side an average family house!

Some of the common shell names are Chrysanthemum, Kamaru, Peony, Salute, Saturn, Strobe, Weeping Willow, Sparkling Silver Lights, Palm Tree and Red Ruby Dazzlers. The five primary colors of the fireworks rainbow are Red – made from compounds of Strontium; White – Magnesium; Blue – Copper; Green – Barium; and Yellow – Sodium. The designer shells are from Australia, Canada, China, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States.

The fireworks music will be announced at a later date.