The Daily Ping

FROM: Paul [E-Mail]
DATE: Wednesday July 3, 2002 -- 1:58:49 pm

The best one I don't necessarily remember for the display itself, but the setting.

It was held in a far, far western suburb of Chicago - far from the lights of the city - at a grassy knoll in a city park. The park itself was large, and had a huge treeless plain full of grass where people could congregate. For this 4th, though, it became the perfect viewing area for fireworks.

Everyone could lay down on big blankets and watch the fireworks overhead. It was, simply, the most amazing thing to see: every single display felt like it was going to fall right on top of you. That was something else.

FROM: Rob [E-Mail]
DATE: Wednesday July 3, 2002 -- 2:12:17 pm

The best fireworks were the ones in my heart when I first met you, tiger.

FROM: Joseph
DATE: Wednesday July 3, 2002 -- 3:42:48 pm

New Orleans has some great fireworks that they shoot right over the Mississippi River so it reflects on the water as well. But that gets really packed, so also used to go to LaFraniere Park. It's one of those old time types of celebrations with the locals doing patriotic themed songs, with the usual horrible voices and sour notes from amateur musicians. Kids are everywhere eating cotton candy with dirt all over it because they've dropped it in the grass. It's great. The fireworks are well worth the wait, too. Lots of big bursts and the finale lasts 10 minutes. Now I live in Springfield, MA, where the fireworks are shot over the Connecticut River, but the effect isn't the same, the fireworks sucky and few. I thought the show was just beginning and someone said that's the finale. Plus I swear, everyone in the crowd smokes cigarettes and is drunk with bad beer breath. Blecccchhhh! It's not even fun cheesy. It basically sucks. I can't wait to move away from here.

FROM: Joseph
DATE: Wednesday July 3, 2002 -- 4:08:25 pm

Oh yeah! My best fireworks story is a couple of years ago I had to fly over the Fourth of July at night for a wedding and from the airplane window I could see hundreds of teeny tiny fireworks displays down below dotting the earthscape. It was cool to be above the fireworks. They looked like little tiny electric blooms sprouting on a darkened field. Of course, I wouldn't recommend getting into an airplane this Fourth of July.

FROM: Bar
DATE: Thursday July 4, 2002 -- 11:14:02 am

The display at the end of the Edinburgh Festival I saw some years back. They spotlight the castle up on The Mound and the display takes off from there - the audience is down in Princes Street (absolutely jam packed). Its just beautiful and the finale I saw was when they let off a load of white ones which flowed down the castle walls like a river of fire. Spectacular. If you ever happen to be in Scotland at that time well worth going to see. Mind you, you should have seen Princes Street the next am. The Scots certainly have a predeliction for their most famous product.

FROM: King Random
DATE: Thursday July 4, 2002 -- 11:00:44 pm

Close your eyes, and press really hard on your eyeballs. Wait a minute, and you will see fireworks. (works best in a well lit room)

FROM: Joseph
DATE: Friday July 5, 2002 -- 3:32:22 pm

I just saw my first fireworks in Portland, ME. They were excellent. Fireworks are odd. They seem so ho hum to talk about, and a bad display (like in Springfield, MA) can damper your mood for fireworks forever (I forgot to mention the cheesy synchronization with poorly recorded pop songs in Springfield). In actuality I thing I forget how much fun a good show can really be. The fireworks I saw last night were fired over a cove full of boats as we were seated on the grass on the hillside. They were great fireworks! Huge and loud and bright. Stupendous! Terrific! Even glorious. I still wouldn't say they blow my mind, but when you think about the dangerous work of pyrotechnicians who assemble these fireworks and choose the right chemical combinations to make the colors: sodium for yellow; calcium salts for orange; strontium or lithium salts for red; barium, boron or copper for green and blue; aluminum or magnesium for bright whites, etc..it seems to me that this is truly scientific or at least alchemical magic. Why ruin it with crappy synchro'd booty music over overloaded PA speakers?