Booming business: Fireworks deliver big bang for local baseball fans

You could say Rich Vaughan has a flare for adventure. A key player in the production of Spokane Indians postgame fireworks displays at Avista Stadium, his spectacular light shows have been eliciting “oohs” and “aahs” from elated baseball fans for decades.

A lifelong Spokane-area resident, Vaughan’s lengthy infatuation with flashy things that go bang did not stem from childhood. He wasn’t even allowed to discharge smoke balls as a kid.

“I grew up on a small farm. You had to be careful. You couldn’t shoot fireworks off, because of the fire danger,” said Vaughan, who contracted his pyro bug years later. “I worked on a fireworks show with another guy in 1984 and just really fell in love with it working on one show,” he said.

With that initial interest sparked, Vaughan later mastered the ins and outs of aerial shells and skyrockets with help from one of Spokane’s finest: John Greenlee.

Greenlee was the mastermind behind Expo ‘74 fireworks displays. His work with the Spokane Indians Baseball Club dates back to the 1950s.

“I actually have a signed contract for fireworks in John’s old files signed by Tommy Lasorda when he was a manager for the Spokane Indians,” said Vaughan, who inherited a lengthy clientele list from Greenlee. “You know in the old days, we used to just throw fireworks in the back of the pickup and a bunch of mortars and go shoot a show.

“Nowadays, it’s like big productions.”

Vaughan has witnessed tremendous growth in the fireworks industry.

Indeed. Business is booming.

Now working as district manager and show producer for Pyro Spectaculars, a California-based company, these days he has settled into more of a behind-the-scenes role.

“I design the shows. I interact with the customers. We’ve got crew people … licensed pyros, they go out and shoot the shows,” he said.

In the next week alone, his office will produce nearly 67 fireworks displays in the Pacific Northwest region.

“Everybody in the world is wanting fireworks so you have to stay on top of it,” Vaughan said.

His company will begin placing orders for 2025 shows right after the Fourth of July. Those grandiose presentations come with hefty price tags. Pyro Spectaculars routinely produces displays in the $100,000 range.

“When John and I first started, the biggest fireworks show we did was $10,000 and that was huge for us,” he said.

No longer just an Independence Day treat, fireworks add sizzle to any event.

“Over in Idaho, we do dozens of wedding shows for the Coeur d’Alene Resort,” said Vaughan, whose company also orchestrates fireworks for the November Holiday Light Show. The exhibit originates from a barge on Lake Coeur d’Alene, but is controlled from the shoreline.

“There’s a guy standing there with a wireless remote and (he) pushes a button and it fires the whole show,” he said. “It’s very cool compared to what it used to be like, hand-firing shells and reloading and that kind of stuff.”

Vaughan’s most established customer is located right here in Spokane, where baseball and fireworks have become a fan-favorite tradition at Avista Stadium.

“They are our largest attended games,” said Spokane Indians Senior Vice President Otto Klein.

“We do have 21 scheduled for the year and that’s the most that we’ve ever had,” he said.

The hit postgame displays afford fans big bang for the buck.

“We just see it with demand. People will stay late into the game even if we’re winning or losing, because they want to stay for the fireworks show,” Klein said.

Music for the 8- to 10-minute exhibits is choreographed by Spokane Indians staff members.

“Depending on the theme of the game, the music will vary. For example, the Fourth of July will have a lot of the patriotic-type music,” he said, “but on some other shows it may be more country oriented or Disney oriented if we have a princess night.”

Over the years, Vaughan’s pyro prowess has afforded him dynamite perks.

Through his work with Pyro Spectaculars, he has traveled around the world to China and Japan. He has even been invited to assist “roadie pyros” with explosive fireworks displays for local concerts.

“I do a lot of standby stuff at the Spokane Arena,” Vaughan said. “I did Jason Aldean and then the next day drove to Vancouver and did KISS and the next day did Jason Aldean again.”

Despite those hints of glamour, his position entails long stretches of time on the road meeting with clients and living out of a suitcase.

Since the vast majority of Vaughan’s work centers around Fourth of July celebrations, the favorite part of his job should not come as any surprise. “July 5th,” he said.