Published: Sunday, Jul. 05, 2009
UPDATE – NOW WITH VIDEO: Local skies light up for the Fourth: Independence Day festivities feature fireworks and lasers
Morro Bay’s first show with beams instead of sparks gets mixed reactions
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closeAbout 8,000 people crowded Tidelands Park in Morro Bay to experience the Central Coast’s first-ever Fourth of July laser light show Saturday night, according to the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce.
After the sun sank behind Morro Rock, the audience hushed and beams of light shone onto a suspended screen.
They depicted animated people, stars, the United States and soldiers — all choreographed to patriotic American songs such as “God Bless the USA.” Reactions varied.
“The lasers work really well with the fog,” said Kristina Hamann of Templeton, who came to watch the show with James Crutchfield, a soldier stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington. She noted that last year, because of fog, she could barely see Morro Bay’s fireworks.
Others were less enthusiastic about the show, but were open to the change.
“It seemed at first it was a little repetitive ... but other than that it was good,” said Josiah Sanchez, 19, of Bakersfield.
He said he would come back next year if there were more lasers surrounding the area for a more three-dimensional experience.
Businesses near the park reported little, if any, drop in sales this year — but attributed any change mainly to the economy.
Organizers of the city’s annual Independence Day festivities decided to try a laser show after several years when fog clouded fireworks shows above Morro Bay’s harbor.
Click on the video below to see highlights from Morro Bay's laser light show.
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