50 years of North Bend fireworks, courtesy of the Wyrsch family
Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 6, 2026
Five generations of Wyrschs have taken part in the city’s summer festival.
One North Bend family has now provided the firework funding for North Bend’s signature summer event for five decades.
This weekend is Festival at Mount Si in North Bend, and it marks the 50th year the Wyrsch family has donated fireworks for the occasion.
The city’s annual summer festival started in 1947 and was called Snoqualmie Valley Jamboree Days for about 20 years. It was then called River Days for a few years before being renamed to Alpine Days until it became Festival at Mount Si in 1995.
The Wyrsch family has seen it all. And when the city decided it could no longer afford the fireworks display, the Wyrschs stepped in.
George Wyrsch Jr. — the reigning patriarch of the family — took over the fireworks task from his father, George Wyrsch Sr., who died in 2010 at 95.
“It’s changed, but it’s really stayed an active and a memorable part of our summer,” the younger George said.
100 years of North Bend living
Born in Monroe in 1914, George Wyrsch Sr. moved to North Bend as a child and grew up on Tollgate Farm. After high school, he went to work at the Sorensen Ford garage in Snoqualmie, where he met his wife, Mildred.
After a stint in the army during World War II, he returned home to marry Mildred. They went on to have three children, the eldest being George Jr., who just so happened to have been born in 1947.
George took up his own automotive business, purchasing a gas station on North Bend Way and adding a 24-hour service station. Disappointed with the food options in town, he and Mildred eventually opened Gateway Cafe on North Bend Way.
In 1978, George Jr. bought the service station from his parents. George Sr. planned on retiring but instead purchased the North Bend hotel, renovated the property and hired a family to run it. He eventually sold that business as well.
George Sr. was involved in many business ventures in his time, and George Jr. took after him.
Today, Bryan and Tessa Wyrsch (George Jr.’s son and daughter-in-law) own two Shell gas stations in North Bend. Debby and Steve Moller (daughter and son-in-law) own a Sinclair gas station in North Bend.
In addition to the two children, George Jr. and his wife, Sharon, have four grandchildren who live in the area.
“It’s just home for us,” Sharon said.
Snoqualmie Valley Record archives contributed to this reporting.
