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Through most of the year, Doug Cochran stays busy at his post as Victoria’s director of parks and recreation.

But that busy schedule becomes even more jam-packed in the days leading to the Fourth of July, as Cochran helps to plan a blasting, booming event that he said caters to about 30,000 spectators.

It’s the city fireworks show, an annual event that takes place at the Victoria Community Center.

And the planning process begins long before the intense July heat hits.

It starts Oct. 1, Cochran said, at the beginning of the city’s fiscal year.

At that point, he said, they know their budget and can begin making plans. And, he said, it’s when the city believes it can get the best price for its fireworks.

“Like everything else, the price of fuel, electricity and commodities will fluctuate throughout the year,” he said. “The earlier we can secure a price, we like to think, the best price we’ll get.”

David Hartman works as vice president of marketing for Hartman Distributing Co., which sponsors the event.

Hartman said his main responsibilities include making sure the smaller details are taken care of, such as parking issues, making sure the crew has food and lining up the entertainment.

This year’s show, for instance, includes performances by Jared Birmingham and Rhythm of the Road.

As Independence Day approaches, Cochran said he and others prepare the area to make sure it looks good for the public.

Tuesday’s rain means they’ll have to mow the area Thursday, he said, and they barricade off the spot for the pyrotechnician to launch the fireworks.

They keep firefighters and police officers on hand, he said, just to be safe.

“Fireworks go up but embers come down,” he said, noting the conditions are probably a bit safer now that the area’s seen some rain.

The city provides the sand to pack around the mortars, Cochran said, but the rest of the work concerning the actual fireworks is left to Western Enterprises, the company that has handled the show for four or five years.

Victoria’s show will be musically choreographed, designed so that the fireworks match up to the patriotic music playing, said Gary Caimano, Western Enterprises’ director of marketing and choreographer.

It will last about 20 minutes, he said, and will be electronically lit, where the fireworks basically light themselves.

A lot of care and consideration goes into the show, Caimano said, from the federal, state and local permitting processes, to preparing and shipping the supplies.

The professionals at the show – which is one of about 400 the company will put on this year – must listen for musical cues and launch the explosives at just the right time.

The 2008 show comes in at $24,000, Cochran said, with $14,000 coming from the city and $10,000 from Hartman Distributing.

That money goes to cover a show that includes about 1,300 shells, he said, 600 in the grand finale alone.

In the event of a rain out, like Victoria saw in 2007, the city loses 25 percent of its contract fee.

Despite all the work before and the cleanup after, Cochran said he looks forward to the fireworks display.

He admitted the holiday and its shooting, colorful fireworks send shivers up his spine.

“I know there are people that sit as far away as the Patti Welder parking lot to watch,” he said. “You will see thousands and thousands of people all around in those neighborhoods. It’s a great family atmosphere.”

Allison Miles is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6511 or amiles@vicad.com.