A great end to
a great holiday
By KEVIN P. CRAVER - kcraver@nwherald.com
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| Ron Goettesche (left) and his son Jason, 8, of Cary watch the fireworks show June 21 during Cary Days at Lion's Park in Cary. (Justin Edmonds – jedmonds@nwherald.com ) |
There are few things more American than evening on Independence Day.
After a day of cookouts and games, county residents filter in with blankets, chairs and insect repellent to Emricson Park in Woodstock, Main Beach in Crystal Lake, Petersen Park in McHenry, and elsewhere. The excitement builds as the sun sets and the sky darkens.
The cheers arise with the thunder of the first test firework. The relaxing summer day quite literally ends with a bang. Lots of them.
“Relaxing” is the last word that Dan Miller would use to describe the Fourth of July.
The vice president of Mad Bomber Fireworks Productions, based in Elgin, is setting up the evening’s show in Woodstock, Wonder Lake and more than 70 other sites all over northeastern Illinois.
Although the company’s season starts with Memorial Day and ends with homecomings in the fall, the Fourth is the big day for obvious reasons.
“Fireworks always brings out the little boy in me, except the Fourth of July,” Miller said with a laugh. “Everyone is under pressure, and you’re committed around the clock to getting the job done.”
Americans who love a good Independence Day cookout and fireworks display can thank the nation’s first vice president and second president for coming up with the idea.
John Adams wrote his wife in a 1776 letter that the anniversary of the colonies’ break with Great Britain should be “solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
Although Adams had a different day in mind – the July 2, 1776, vote for independence rather than the July 4 ratification of the Declaration – Americans have followed his excellent advice, especially in the “illuminations” department.
Contrary to what people see in cartoons, today’s display-quality fireworks are not rockets, but mortars. They do not have their own propulsion system – a charge at the bottom of a tube fires them into the air. Others burn on the ground and shoot their charges and streamers skyward.
The amount of pyrotechnic material in a shell is measured in pounds, as opposed to the 60 grams that federal law limits aerial fireworks bought by the public, Phantom Fireworks Vice President William Weimer said.
Fireworks are illegal in Illinois except for sparklers, snakes and other novelty items. Illinois is one of five states where fireworks are illegal, although the remaining 45 states have varying degrees of restrictions.
The composition of the shells is based on the desired effect, and various chemical elements determine the color. Reds, for example, come from lithium and strontium, and glittering gold comes from charcoal or lampblack.
Both Miller and Weimer have spent their adult lives in the fireworks business. Just outside Weimer’s Youngstown, Ohio, office is the testing ground where fireworks from each crate are tested for quality.
“You’d think I’d get tired, but I’ll tell you, I still love a fireworks show,” Weimer said.
Although just about everyone loves a fireworks display, Miller said, people’s tastes differ on their favorite types of explosions. He said tastes typically differ by gender – women like the large, pretty explosions, and men like the “salutes,” or the short bursts that create a loud thunderclap.
And audiences prefer a quicker, more intense display, Miller said.
“Just about everybody agrees that they like to see a rapid-paced fireworks program, as opposed to ones that are long and drawn out,” Miller said.
Between 6,000 and 8,000 people come to Emricson Park to watch Woodstock’s display, said James Campion, a longtime member of the citizens’ committee that raises funds for the show.
“I think we get a wonderful show for the money that we pay,” Campion said. “You get 8,000 people in a good mood who enjoy the night – it’s almost always been a decent night – and everyone has a good time.”
