VISITORS’ GUIDE • GRAND COULEE DAM AREA • 2020-2021
Laser Light Show facts
An entirely new laser show debuted in May 2014. It tells the history of the dam and the region and people it changed forever. — Photo courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
If it’s currently offered…
How long is the laser show?
The laser light show lasts approximately 30 minutes, during which time colorful images created by the lasers dance back and forth across the huge surface of the dam.
has been dropped.
How are the lasers used at Grand Coulee Dam?
As one of the largest entertainment laser projection systems in the world, and certainly the largest (Normal) 2020 outdoor laser show in North America, The best locations are the seating Laser Show Times the lasers at Grand Coulee Dam tell area at the Visitor Center and from the story of the Columbia River and the park below the Visitor Center. Nightly at Grand Coulee Dam how its power was harnessed to These areas provide an outdoor provide multiple benefits to mankind, sound system. May 23 to July 31 at 10:00 p.m. including electrical power, irrigation The town of Coulee Dam has a Aug. 1 to Aug. 31 at 9:30 p.m. for farming,and exciting recreational park — terraced and grassy for viewSept. 1 to Sept. 30 at 8:30 p.m. opportunities. As a result of the open ing the laser show — adjacent to the process of scripting the new show in east end of the Columbia River bridge. 2014,viewers will also understand the Other viewing spots: from Douglas Park in Coulee Dam; from Crown Point Vista atop the granite costs of building the dam — cost to wildlife, and to native peoples cliffs above Lake Rufus Woods, with access from SR-174 towards whose way of life was dependent on that wildlife, in particular, the salmon that no longer could continue upstream to spawn. Bridgeport. The USBR broadcasts the audio portion of the laser light How much did the lasers cost? show nightly at 90.1 FM. With the original equipment in use since 1989, the Bureau of Reclamation commissioned a new show and new equipment. What is a laser? Lasers are intense beams of light commonly used in medicine The equipment began operation in May of 2013, but projecting and science, but they've also found a niche as a high-tech, fast- the new show began in May 2014.Lumalaser, of Eugene, Oregon, moving form of entertainment.They are controlled by computers bid the project at $1.6 million. which, at Grand Coulee Dam, are in the Visitor Center. How big are the laser images? Although a single dot of light, lasers can trace an image so Pictures are beamed at the awesome height of nearly 300 feet. rapidly it appears as a solid figure to the human eye. The term“laser”is actually an acronym for Light Amplification How far do the lasers project? by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It is so commonly used The laser lights are beamed between 2,000 and 4,000 feet to now that the tradition of using capital letters for an acronym the surface of the dam.
Where can I view the show?
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