PROVO — If ticket sales are a barometer of success, this year's Stadium of Fire would be judged a success.
More than 65,000 people flocked to the capstone event of America's Freedom Festival at Provo — and an estimated 150,000 more lined nearby streets to see the fireworks sparked after country star Reba McEntire's encore.
But when the last rocket glared red, many of those inside and out of LaVell Edwards Stadium grumbled about the length of the event, what seemed like a shorter-than-usual fireworks show and in-your-face political overtones.
"The fireworks were depressing. There weren't as many as in the past," said Ray Thacker, who attended the July 3 event with his family.
"It had also turned into a Republican convention. I'm all for both parties, but it got to be a little much with Sean Hannity pushing his conservative views."
But some fans of Hannity, whose talk show is heard locally on KSL Newsradio 1160, walked away disappointed, too.
Why? They missed what he had to say because of a problem with the speakers, said spectator Genevieve Hanson, who complained about not being able to hear what performers were saying.
And others took offense at the presence of Oliver North, who has gained a following as a conservative radio commentator but remains politically tainted for his role in the 1987 Iran-Contra scandal.
In addition, one of the organizers, in the final moments of the event, took aim at recent legal skirmishes regarding the Pledge of Allegiance, hailing public patriotic displays mentioning God, "regardless of what judge in San Francisco says."
But organizers of America's Freedom Festival at Provo don't consider their selection of such guests as Hannity and North, as well as a tribute to late President Ronald Reagan, to be partisan. They call it patriotic.
"All we're trying to do is send out a message about love of country, freedom we enjoy here and that we are anxious to support those working to gain their freedom elsewhere," said Carl Bacon, festival director.
"This is non-political. However, there are reasons people maybe feel that it is because we are pro-military."
But many may have relished the atmosphere, considering that Utah County in the 1980s was considered the most Republican county in the country.
Bacon also says Hannity drove ticket sales for the second year in a row. This year, he said, tickets to the event sold out early.
But that's because the Stadium of Fire is the only big Fourth of July show in town, said Brigham Young University student Michelle King.
"I hate country music, but I keep going because there's nothing else to do," she said. "Can't they get someone a little more mainstream?"
According to Bacon, festival organizers decide who they invite and what they showcase at the annual event based on audience feedback.
Since the show is also broadcast via an Armed Forces satellite system to U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Europe, however, Bacon said that the festival feels an obligation to honor them for the service.
"We thought our show was appropriate to do because we're all about freedom," he said. "We bring in people who support the troops, and it's hard sometimes to find those people."
Complaints about the fireworks are also unfounded, said Ron Smith, who managed the show for Pyro Spectaculars, the company that provided fireworks for last year's Stadium of Fire, as well as the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
Smith did say, however, that he was told to make performances by former "American Idol" and "Star Search" contestants during the fireworks display the main focus, rather than large explosions.
"The fireworks display itself was 28 minutes long — exactly the same as last year," Smith said. "There were absolutely no problems in the fireworks area. Everything fired as planned."
Despite the ripples of criticism, compliments still abound for Stadium of Fire.
Thacker, who disliked the political overtones, loved the "healing field" — the placement of an American flag for each soldier who has perished in the conflict with Iraq. And he also enjoyed the six other tributes to fallen soldiers and those serving across the globe.
"I will keep going mostly because my family goes," Thacker said. "I can always tune out the Republican stuff."
E-mail: lwarner@desnews.com