Lake View Terrace : Festive 4th Returns to Hansen Dam Park

A spectacle of sound and light returns tonight to Hansen Dam Park for the first time in 15 years.

Fireworks and classical music will be offered at the Lake View Terrace location as one of dozens of Independence Day events in the San Fernando Valley.

The musical performance will be given at 7 p.m. by Symphony on the Glen, a 70-piece orchestra, and fireworks will begin after dark.

Earlier in the day, visitors can participate in sack races, balloon tosses and a barbecue with free hot dogs, soft drinks and apple pie.

Admission is free, but visitors are asked to bring donations of canned food to be given to needy families in the northeast area of the Valley.

Residents and officials hope the return of the Independence Day celebration marks a resurgence of the recreation area.

“I think it’s great,” said Nancy Snider, a member of the Lake View Terrace Homeowners Assn. “It’s about time we start getting events at this part of the Valley.

“I hope to see more activities there.”

The site once featured a 120-acre lake and drew thousands of water enthusiasts, but by the early 1980s both the lake and its visitors were gone.

Like the fireworks, they too may soon return. Construction has begun on a 1 1/2-acre pond for swimming and a 10 1/2-acre lake for boating and fishing, which are expected to be completed by 1997.

Mark Herrick, a Lake View Terrace resident who was playing catch with his 10-year-old son at the park Monday, said he’s happy to be able to attend a family outing in the community.

“It’s nice to know it’s coming back,” Herrick said. “There never seems to be enough things to bring your family to, even on the holidays. Even when there are, how many of them don’t cost a lot of money?”

“It’s easy to forget that this place is so nice,” resident Ellen Rodriguez said. “Maybe this can help remind people about visiting the park all the time.”

The Fourth of July celebration is sponsored by Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon, Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Panorama City) and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. During his campaign for City Council, Alarcon promised to bring back the traditional fireworks display.

A portion of the event’s cost will be paid for from the Lopez Canyon Amenities Fund, which was established in 1991 when Lopez Canyon Landfill’s operating permit was extended for an additional five years. The fund was created to offset the inconvenience of the nearby dump.

Hansen Dam Park opens at 10 a.m. The musical performance is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Hansen Dam Sports Center Amphitheater, 11770 Foothill Blvd.

No alcoholic beverages are permitted.