Fireworks

[dsenette]

as I'm sure everyone knows, tomorrow is the 4th of July....most places it's just another day in another month but in the U.S. it's Independance Day which marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring U.S. independence from Great Britain. It's a time most often celebrated with fireworks displays and parades in some places (along with copious amounts of grilling and imbibing of "adult beverages").

so what are YOU doing tomorrow to celebrate the occasion?

I plan of following our most recent tradition (of the past 3 or so years) of going to our friends' house out on the outskirts of town (surprisingly in the middle of one of the richest, hoitiest, toitiest areas around Knoxville) for an obscene amount of deviled eggs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and possibly a brew or two (think I'm gonna pick up some Old Speckled Hen from the world market....mmmm).

But being the EXTREME pyromaniac that i am, the main attraction will be the fireworks display that me and my friend let loose on the neighborhood...we're USUALLY pretty safe...but on occasion things happen...

2 years ago we had two catastrophic failures....

the first one involved a "mortar" type firework being put into the wrong sized launch tube by someone ( :whistling: )...if you've never fired this type of firework...it's basically a ball (or canister) filled with gunpowder and effects type deals with a "launch" charge on the bottom of the ball with a fuse...you drop this ball into a cardboard tube, light the fuse and get back...the launch charge ignites (sounding like a cannon) and sends the ball with the effects soaring into the sky, at which point that ball explodes and spreads out the little stars (that are burning about the same temperature as the sun) in the sky....well if you put one of these things in a launch tube that's too large...the launch charge can't build up enough pressure behind the effects ball to launch it into the sky so it stays in the tube (and mocks you by calling your mother names) until it explodes showering the yard (including an 11 year old 3 drunk girls 4 drunk dudes and a pregnant lady) with burning hot balls of metal...extremely entertaining for me....everyone else finished watching the show from inside

the second failure was NOT my fault...we've got a favorite firework....the Texas rattlesnake (if you see one of these in your local fireworks store...get 12...they're awesome)...this is one of those "brick" style fireworks that has a bunch of little tubes with self contained non re loadable mortar type charges in each tube, and it's fused in such a way that these launches are all timed very well so it puts on a really nice show...well my friend put one of these on top of one that we had already shot earlier (not a good idea) so when it fired it tipped over...of course by all laws of the "idiots with fireworks soon cause damage" principle it fell pointing towards the house (and everyone who had decided that it was safe enough to come back outside after the last snafu) and began to unleash it's fury upon us...now this thing's not a giant firework...but it's got a "program" (as the pros sometimes call it) that lasts for at least 40 seconds...so since this thing fell over after the first shot...we had approximately 35 seconds of "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD" moments ahead of us...when the onslaught finally finished we looked over to see one of our (particularly inebriated) friends sitting in a lawn chair...he apparently hadn't moved through the entire ordeal, with burning embers of death whizzing past his head... when questioned about his experience he could only say "That was real? i thought it was the whiskey"

that year consisted of approximately $175 to $200 worth of fireworks...this year we should have about $300....so...hopefully it should be good...and even more hopefully...I'll still have fingers to type with on Thursday

[Beaverslayer]

dsenette,

Is it possible to get video footage of the "Events" that are most likely to take place this year? Being from "Passive" Canada, fireworks are basically outlawed here, and we don't get to see the effects of such displays you have mentioned.

Ken

[wolvenstien]

Usually I have everyone over for ribs and what not off the grill and blow off $500 in overpriced fireworks.... but since I have been out of work for the past year, we are cooking food and nixing the fireworks this year...

This will actually be the saturday following....

As for tomorrow, we are going to the wifes familys and spending time there and eating thier food...

Happy 4th everyone, and be safe out there too.... lots of folks still think it is cool to shoot of firearms into the air forgetting that what goes up must still come down.... If you are going to shoot off firearms, do it into the ground unless you have something set up to keep the lead from going where it doesnt need to go....

[CitizenKate]

I usually get together with a few friends, blow up a little take-home pay, then sit out in the yard on lawn chairs with a glass of our favorite beverage and watch the rest of the neighborhood go up in smoke, in a very colorful way. There are times when life in the USA rocks. This is one of them.

Kate

[dsenette]

dsenette,

Is it possible to get video footage of the "Events" that are most likely to take place this year? Being from "Passive" Canada, fireworks are basically outlawed here, and we don't get to see the effects of such displays you have mentioned.

Ken

i was barely sober enough to light fuses...you want me to take video? hehehe...i don't have a video camera

[Beaverslayer]

Well, I'm glad you made it through safely. I'll have to wait yet another year.

[leathernut]

i usually do the usual drink beer, bbq,fireworks.this year trying to get a rush order done for the weekend bike seat.so i got stuck working and my wife and kid went and had fun.at least someone did lol..