Fireworks spark laughter, build community

For the past 13 years, the Mat-Su Valley has marked the beginning of the winter holiday season with a fireworks show in downtown Palmer.

It’s fitting, too, that this year’s celebration fell on “Small Business Saturday,” because unlike other community celebrations, this one is a gift to all of us from a local business.

When Stan Guthrie of Country Cutts lit the night that first year, he had no idea where this birthday celebration would take him. The night remains partly a celebration of his birthday Nov. 20. But it’s mostly a celebration of another milestone in his life, he said.

The fireworks are scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving each year. But the important thing is the time of day the fireworks start.

“July 19, 1998, I gave my life to Christ,” Guthrie said of why the fireworks have begun precisely at 7:19 each year for the past 13. “It’s been a long journey.”

Country Cutts is a small Palmer business and Guthrie said sometimes he’s had to borrow the money to pay for the annual community fireworks show. Sure, he gets marketing and advertising benefits for his investment, but the real benefits can’t be measured in dollars and cents, he said.

The laughter of the children, mothers with tears of joy, people from the Bush who’ve never seen fireworks — all priceless.

“People are so appreciative of it,” he said. “I’m going to keep doing it as long as I can afford it.”

Guthrie said he hears stories all year about people who drive to Palmer from Big Lake or Eagle River to see the fireworks, or families who’ve moved their Thanksgiving celebration to Saturday so they can watch the fireworks together.

“The bottom line is, it just totally touches my heart,” Guthrie said.

This weekend marks the kickoff to the Christmas holiday season in the Valley, with tree-lighting ceremonies planned for Saturday in both Wasilla and Big Lake. And even Talkeetna’s getting in on the fun with its annual Bachelor Ball/Wilderness Woman Competition Saturday evening. And don’t forget Colony Christmas, Dec. 7-8, at various locations around downtown Palmer.

We love community events like these that offer a sampler platter of our rich local flavors. We appreciate their power to create jobs and build our local economy. But more than that, we recognize the role events like this play in building community.

We know there are plenty of national retail stores here and that the Internet and online shopping are as near as your smartphone. But Black Friday and Cyber Monday aside, small businesses remain the lifeblood of the Mat-Su Valley.

Hats off to local business folks like Guthrie who care as much about building community as building their personal wealth.