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American Morning
Independence Day Celebrations at Mount Rushmore
Aired July 04, 2003 - 07:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The party has already begun at Mount Rushmore. There were fireworks there last night, and more celebrations are planned today.
Keith Oppenheim drew the lucky assignment. He joins us now from South Dakota.
Hello -- Keith.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles.
You know, sometimes, great things happen, despite the obstacles. So, let me take you back in time, back to 1927 when the work on Mount Rushmore was just beginning, and there were a lot of Americans who wondered whether such a huge undertaking could ever successfully be completed. Well, it was, and here it is. Take a look. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial, this 60-foot long carved granite faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln -- faces that together came to symbolize the ideals of a nation.
We've got several live camera perspectives to give you a tour of the mountain this morning. Thousands have flocked to see a stunning Fourth of July celebration, and we should note that there is a chopper busy removing some of the fireworks equipment from last night. And it was last night where people came to see that fireworks show.
To make that celebration a reality, you need to see what's going on the top of the massive heads on top of Mount Rushmore. It's there that there the fireworks crews choppered in 40,000 pounds of equipment, so pyrotechnicians could set off 1,200 fireworks. At 9:20 local time last night, the 23-minute show got underway to the delight of the crowds that were crammed in around the park, all there to see the America's 227th birthday celebrated in about as fitting a place as one could imagine.
We take you back live from the excitement of last night to the relative serenity of this morning. And, you know, Miles, it was just six years ago that they started doing fireworks shows here. They started doing them, because they were celebrating the expansion of the visitor center here, and then they continued them because they had such an enthusiastic response.
Now, Mount Rushmore has become quite a destination, with nearly 200,000 people coming to see it this week and nearly three million people each year.
Miles -- back to you.
O'BRIEN: It's such a spectacular picture, Keith, and I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention. I don't remember seeing it. It's just wonderful to see those fireworks and the faces lit up that way.
OPPENHEIM: Yes, it's just a perfect place for a fireworks show, that's for sure. That's for sure.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks very much, Keith Oppenheim in the land of north by northwest. We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired July 4, 2003 - 07:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The party has already begun at Mount Rushmore. There were fireworks there last night, and more celebrations are planned today.
Keith Oppenheim drew the lucky assignment. He joins us now from South Dakota.
Hello -- Keith.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles.
You know, sometimes, great things happen, despite the obstacles. So, let me take you back in time, back to 1927 when the work on Mount Rushmore was just beginning, and there were a lot of Americans who wondered whether such a huge undertaking could ever successfully be completed. Well, it was, and here it is. Take a look. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial, this 60-foot long carved granite faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln -- faces that together came to symbolize the ideals of a nation.
We've got several live camera perspectives to give you a tour of the mountain this morning. Thousands have flocked to see a stunning Fourth of July celebration, and we should note that there is a chopper busy removing some of the fireworks equipment from last night. And it was last night where people came to see that fireworks show.
To make that celebration a reality, you need to see what's going on the top of the massive heads on top of Mount Rushmore. It's there that there the fireworks crews choppered in 40,000 pounds of equipment, so pyrotechnicians could set off 1,200 fireworks. At 9:20 local time last night, the 23-minute show got underway to the delight of the crowds that were crammed in around the park, all there to see the America's 227th birthday celebrated in about as fitting a place as one could imagine.
We take you back live from the excitement of last night to the relative serenity of this morning. And, you know, Miles, it was just six years ago that they started doing fireworks shows here. They started doing them, because they were celebrating the expansion of the visitor center here, and then they continued them because they had such an enthusiastic response.
Now, Mount Rushmore has become quite a destination, with nearly 200,000 people coming to see it this week and nearly three million people each year.
Miles -- back to you.
O'BRIEN: It's such a spectacular picture, Keith, and I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention. I don't remember seeing it. It's just wonderful to see those fireworks and the faces lit up that way.
OPPENHEIM: Yes, it's just a perfect place for a fireworks show, that's for sure. That's for sure.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks very much, Keith Oppenheim in the land of north by northwest. We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
