Fireworks?

ShawnG said:

I don't hate them, I just feel they're incredibly expensive. 

Some folks must like burning their money.

I haven't bought fireworks in decades but I happened to be attending a Planes & Coffee yesterday in a little town that sells them.  I picked up a six pack of Piccolo Pete's and a six pack of Ground Flowers for $20...both were about a third the size they used to be.

When I was a kid the huge Family Packs were around $100 and now they're $800.

Get off my lawn!

ShawnG said:

I don't hate them, I just feel they're incredibly expensive. 

same problem with any import product coming in a container- the $3-$5000 freight cost has jumped to $25,000.  Somebody is paying that increase.  

I am at my parents house in Southeastern KY and there is supposed to be a ban on fireworks because of the dry conditions. You wouldn't know it though.

I am all for people celebrating the 4th. I just wish people would just do it for one night and end at a reasonable time.

My 6 pound dog could not care less. The 75 pound dog wants to sit in a lap. 

Me, I love them. I used to build big ones as a hobby.

My neighbors shoot off enough of them that the neighborhood sounds like it's being invaded. I think it's great because I don't have to buy any. I just sit on the porch and watch theirs. 

The city also has a huge professional show that launches from about 300 yards behind my house as well. It's a fun but noisy night. 

Happy 4th. 

I live at 9000 feet on the edge of a national forest in southwestern Colorado.  Until two weeks ago the fire danger was extreme.  Luckily we are getting our summer monsoon rains a little early this year, I've had 2 inches in my rain gauge over the last two weeks, so it's not quite as dangerous as it was.  Our local residents have a nice, healthy no fireworks attitude, we go to town and watch a pro show aimed at low risk areas, but we get scared as hell at the prospect of visitors in air B&Bs in the neighborhood who don't have a clue about the local fire danger, so tonight might be scary.  Fingers crossed.

Fireworks are a litmus test to discover who is easily amused. 

My back porch about 10 minutes ago. You haven't experienced a fireworks show until you have stood almost under one. 

I don't mind a good pro or semi-pro show.  Not a fan of all the neighborhood rednecks making it sound like a war zone (illegally I might add).  Doggo is definitely not a fan.  I have him tightly wrapped in a thunder vest and I've had him in a bear hug on and off for a couple hours 

Been going on for 2 days here and I think it's kind of great. I bought the $50 Costco box- and my neighbors are all trying to outdue the wpb/Jupiter shows. I appreciate them spending their cash so I don't have to! It has been fun though, lots of neighbors driving by on golf carts saying happy 4th and my 11 and 13 year old have had a blast. 

I happened to be on a commercial air flight on July 4 many years ago, and we flew over a fireworks display that was going on in some city.  It was weird to see it from above.

Last night there were still fireworks going off at 4 am. I'm out tonight at 1 am and it's silent and dark. If any fingers were lost locally someone else took care of it while we were attending to other issues.

stuart in mn said:

I happened to be on a commercial air flight on July 4 many years ago, and we flew over a fireworks display that was going on in some city.  It was weird to see it from above.

My flight took off from Philly last night at 9pm.  As we climbed altitude, I could see literally dozens of different firework displays (clearly professional) going off all around the area.  It was amazing!

From a 3rd floor balcony I watched some people gather in the middle school parking lot across the street light a few boxes. 

At one point one of them did donuts in a Charger around a box while it was going.

SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:

stuart in mn said:

I happened to be on a commercial air flight on July 4 many years ago, and we flew over a fireworks display that was going on in some city.  It was weird to see it from above.

My flight took off from Philly last night at 9pm.  As we climbed altitude, I could see literally dozens of different firework displays (clearly professional) going off all around the area.  It was amazing!

I just got a Book of Faces video from my cousin.

She and her husband were flying their Beechcraft Bonanza around Seattle last night checking out firework displays.

Legal-ish in Michigan. Charge max and tube diameter max. That being said we scheduled ours with the friends, family, neighbors township and bordering village on 02 July for launch window of 9:50pm-11:05pm. Michigan and township rules call for a stop launch at 11:30 so my 30 minute display was covered in case the wind was too wonky. 

I launched 125 mortars with 208 breaks total and another 400 or so rounds in cake form as a finale. All in all I am THAT neighbor.

Photo courtesy of Joey48442

Well, well, weeeellll!

Dammit iPad...  stand by!

Laptop to the rescue.   Holy berkeleying E36 M3....

In reply to 11GTCS :

I bought Roman candles this year.  

Basic, lame, weak ass Roman candles but my wife is convinced in her mind this will happen to me.  

Our dog is definitely not a fan. 

In reply to 11GTCS :

LOLZ.  These folks obviously are not convinced of the veracity of Murphy's Law.  Well, maybe they are now. 

We used to do a pretty good display along with one or two other folks in our small neighborhood of 1 to 2 acre lots.  Nothing quite as extensive as QuasiMofo, but we would launch a good few mortars and usually wrap things up with a high-end cake or two.  Never had a mishap, but we were plenty careful.  We would start right about dark and carry on for no more than 30 minutes, if that.  We got a lot of positive feedback from other neighbors, and even now I have people ask if we would be doing it again.  The answer is no, since we now have a very sweet dog, and she does not enjoy fireworks.

Cool to do on your own acreage  with low risk of starting a fire. 10 acres in Applachia? Go nuts! Be safe! 

Increasingly obnoxious the closer you get to civilization and/or wildfire risk.

In reply to CrustyRedXpress :

Great point. I have a cancel clause for myself. "If it's a drought I'm not going out." Luckily we were a little wet just prior to the 2nd so I could be hyper stressed and overburdened with anxiety!

In reply to 1988RedT2 :

I have had bigger displays, honestly I don't like doing the real large ones.

I have done individual ignition displays that ran more than 50 minutes and I was exhausted. Next year I will be working out combined timed wicks in small display sets. That way I can watch the show a little.

One of my neighbors was shooting off firecrackers last night from 6 pm till 9 pm. Two days after the Fourth. I don't know why he still has so many. I live in the suburbs of a large city. They have been shooting them off since last Friday even though it is illegal and you have to go to a rural county nearby to buy them.

My dogs are so used to it that they actually sleep through it now.