Port Angeles: Granite Falls man enjoys orchestrating fireworks

Published 12:01 am Thursday, July 5, 2001

By Matthew Fritsch

PORT ANGELES — When the aerial fireworks display was launched Wednesday night, Jim Ibea was at ground zero.

The pyrotechnist from Granite Falls has been at the center of Port Angeles’ fireworks display for eight years.

An insurance agent during the rest of the year, Ibea works just one fireworks show annually — in Port Angeles.

“As a kid, I first started helping my father set up for shows,” Ibea said. “I shot my first complete show when I was 14.”

With more than 20 years of experience, the 41-year-old Ibea says he has a good feel for how a fireworks display should be presented.

Details appear in today’s Clallam County edition of the Peninsula Daily News, now on sale. Or click onto “Subscribe” to get your copy delivered to your home or office.