Laser Light Show (Grand Coulee Dam)
Encyclopedia
Laser lighting display
A laser lighting display or laser light show involves the use of laser light to entertain an audience. A laser light show may consist only of projected laser beams set to music, or may accompany another form of entertainment, typically a dance concert or other musical performance.Laser light is...
at Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...
, which began in 1989, is one of the largest light shows in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The 37 minute show runs daily from Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
through September 30. An addition of fireworks lights up the sky above the dam each Memorial Weekend Sunday and July 4.
The Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two power plants. A third power station was completed in 1974 to increase its energy...
premiered its first non-laser light show in 1957. Approximately 740 flood lamps near the base of the dam lit up the dam, but not enough water flooded down the spillway for the desired effect.
Lasers and Sound
Krypton
Krypton is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a member of Group 18 and Period 4 elements. A colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, krypton occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere, is isolated by fractionally distilling liquified air, and is often used with other...
(red) and two 30-watt Argon
Argon
Argon is a chemical element represented by the symbol Ar. Argon has atomic number 18 and is the third element in group 18 of the periodic table . Argon is the third most common gas in the Earth's atmosphere, at 0.93%, making it more common than carbon dioxide...
lasers (green and blue). They are split and combined with dichroic filter
Dichroic filter
A dichroic filter, thin-film filter, or interference filter is a very accurate color filter used to selectively pass light of a small range of colors while reflecting other colors. By comparison, dichroic mirrors and dichroic reflectors tend to be characterized by the color of light that they...
s and controlled with analog modulators to create full color vector images. These images are projected 1100-4000 feet onto the face of the dam as well as the 3rd power-house which is to the far left. The entire dam is utilized as a screen during the show. The show includes Glenn Mazen voicing the character of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
which narrates the history of Columbia Basin Project
Columbia Basin Project
The Columbia Basin Project in Central Washington, USA, is the irrigation network that the Grand Coulee Dam makes possible. It is the largest water reclamation project in the United States, supplying irrigation water to over of the large project area, all of which was originally intended to be...
, the construction of the dam, and the Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
living along its banks.
The laser system contractor was Laser Fantasy International based in Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
. The optical system was designed by Floyd Rollefstad; the digital recording and playback system was designed and fabricated by Fred Lord, and was installed by Dan Lawrence, Casey Stack, Dave Haskell, Matt Monforte and Kirk Melby in 1989. The programming team was led by Robert Mueller.
Laser Fantasy's custom vector laser graphic programming and playback system 'Production Studio' was used for show development and much of the show programming. In addition to the main show programming, the interactive portion of the Tour Guide operated pre-show ran from this software package in real time. The revolutionary Production Studio package was developed and coded by Jim Arledge.
In 2007, the show playback system was redesigned by Ted Smith of Lasersmith Light Show Systems, LLC in Yakima, Washington using state-of-the-art digital circuitry, allowing for future show updates as well as ease of alignment. The show's soundtrack was also cleaned up digitally. In 2009, the four-laser projection system was disassembled and upgraded by Lasersmith, allowing the system to produce higher-quality images with more color.