{"id":7991,"date":"2017-07-04T10:00:11","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T14:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=7991"},"modified":"2017-10-25T16:40:58","modified_gmt":"2017-10-25T20:40:58","slug":"1980s-fireworks-fourth-of-july-pittsburgh-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/07\/04\/1980s-fireworks-fourth-of-july-pittsburgh-point\/","title":{"rendered":"Gnarly Fourths at the Point"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Spectators <\/a>
Spectators watch fireworks. Photo published July 3, 1980. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Fireworks <\/a>
Fireworks explode above the city, as seen from the USX Building in downtown. Photo published July 6, 1987. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Amiee <\/a>
Amiee Festa, 4, and her sister, Jennifer Festa, 9, ride in Pittsburgh’s holiday parade. Photo taken July 4, 1988. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Fireworks <\/a>
Fireworks go off above the Point Park fountain. Photo taken July 4, 1982. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Fourth <\/a>
Fourth of July crowds at the Point. Photo published July 5, 1982. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Joe <\/a>
Joe Lucas “takes a dip” during Brentwood parade. Photo published July 5, 1987. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pirates <\/a>
Pirates groundskeeper Joe De Pasquale waters down field between baseball games. Photo published July 5, 1983. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

It was a different time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 1980s began with a fourth Super Bowl victory by Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain and ended with the collapse of an iron one stretching across eastern Europe. Patriotism was en vogue, the air was thick with hair spray and Pittsburgh still lived up to its \u201cSteel City\u201d moniker. Well, for a bit at least. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 35 years since December 1982, when the southwestern Pennsylvania economy tumbled off a cliff and unemployment reached its all-time peak.\u00a0<\/span>As a whole, the decade would put tremendous stress on many western Pennsylvania families.\u00a0<\/span>Once the steel mills began to close, the city found itself in the unenviable position of seeking financial stability and a new identity at the same time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But like any holiday worth celebrating, Independence Day seemed to provide a brief respite. Just as they will today, Pittsburghers clamored for the perfect picnic spot and <\/span>families filled the Point to see an annual fireworks display. They came by foot, car or boat, with more than 70,000 people attending the 1986 celebrations. <\/span><\/p>\n

The times were changing, but the excitement of seeing colorful explosions light the sky was alive and well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Fourth <\/a>
Fourth of July fireworks spread over the Point for spectators near the West End Bridge. Photo published July 5, 1988. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"James <\/a>
James Tazza, a University of Pittsburgh senior, carries his flag through Point State Park. Photo published July 5, 1985. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Roughly <\/a>
Roughly 70,000 gathered at the Point for festivities. Photo published July 5, 1986. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Others preferred more local fare, attending neighborhood parades and parties. Cultural groups like the McDonald Pipe Band represented the contributions immigrant ancestors made to the country celebrating its birthday. Dance troupes and marching bands from Pittsburgh schools performed on a Downtown stage surrounded by American flags and sparklers, some of the streets coated in painted designs.<\/p>\n

As their parents sipped\u00a0Budweiser and Tab, children popped firecrackers in the streets. Pulling out hoses while nobody looked, a patch of dirt suddenly became an impromptu, muddy Slip ‘N Slide.\u00a0Some men dressed in 19th century clothing to put on musket demonstrations, while others fired replica artillery. After all, they couldn’t let Zambelli Fireworks<\/a> have all the fun.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/a>
The American Dance Ensemble from Point Park College performs during Fourth of July celebrations Downtown. Photo published July 5, 1980. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Michelle <\/a>
Michelle and Mark Kolczynski of Oakland compete in a sack race at the Point. Photo published July 5, 1986. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"McDonald <\/a>
McDonald Pipe Band marches to the stage at Point State Park. Photo published July 5, 1986. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Kurt <\/a>
Kurt Steinback gets a dousing from Tom Murray, 8. Photo published July 3, 1983. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The intersection of Central Avenue and West Pike Street in Canonsburg was decorated with a painted red, white and blue cannon for Independence Day. Photo published July 5, 1987. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Herb <\/a>
Herb Springer of Castle Shannon decked his motorcycle in flags. Photo published July 5, 1984. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"An <\/a>
An unnamed young man slides through mud at the Point. Photo published July 5, 1984. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

And then, as always, there was the food. Hot dogs and hamburgers covered grill tops while the apple pie filled coolers. Iceberg lettuce salads and Jell-O Pudding Pops attempted to balance each other out, and aerobics sessions were postponed in favor of absentminded grazing.<\/p>\n

Of course, it wouldn’t be Pittsburgh without crockpots full of kielbasa and sauerkraut creeping into a few pictures. Pierogies don’t appear in any of these photos, but you can be sure they weren’t far behind. At least one girl seemed to find complete satisfaction with a cob of corn, smiling as melted butter ran down her chin. In another photo, a woman slices pepperoni rolls for her family next to a pan of fried sausages.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/a>
The Larocco family of Ben Avon prepares a picnic table for their Fourth of July celebration. Photo published July 5, 1984. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Robin <\/a>
Robin Shepherd, 4, enjoys a cob of sweet corn. Photo published July 4, 1983. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Scott <\/a>
Scott Sibert, center, cooks on his hibachi along the the wall at Point State Park. Photo published July 5, 1988. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Wilmerding <\/a>
Wilmerding Mayor Geraldine Homitz, center, helps serve hot dogs with assistance from Lena Gretak. Photo published July 7, 1988. (Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Bonnie <\/a>
Bonnie Renton cuts pepperoni pastry for her smorgasbord party. Photo published June 25, 1986. (Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

At the time, the rise of a new, conservative president was altering how Americans viewed their history and neighbors. The country was moving in a more conservative direction after years of war and fraught social change, rejecting special interests in favor of market growth. The media turned on its head as news cycles sped up and became flashier, while musicians strove to balance computerized glitz with timely social awareness.<\/p>\n

But July 4 still brought Pittsburghers out to the Point in their finest red, white and blue, and together they would try to outshine the real stars with some of their own.<\/p>\n

On second thought, maybe the 1980s weren’t so different after all.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Moret<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was a different time. The 1980s began with a fourth Super Bowl victory by…<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesGnarly Fourths at the Point<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":8001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[946],"tags":[964,972,982,988,1033],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Fourth021-e1499112755492.jpg?fit=5640%2C3271&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2407,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2012\/10\/17\/aftermath-of-tornado-in-northwestern-pa\/","url_meta":{"origin":7991,"position":0},"title":"Aftermath of tornado in northwestern Pa.","date":"October 17, 2012","format":"gallery","excerpt":"This photograph shows Dale Kemp, a retired machine shop foreman, assessing 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