Every year we oooh! and ahhhh! at the flashing, popping, crackles and booms in the sky as we celebrate the birth of our country. But where do the fireworks come from — and who shoots them off? The story behind the scenes is nearly as spectacular as the end result that sends man-made stars racing and exploding over our heads.
THE ORIGIN STORYThe first fireworks date back to China’s Song Dynasty, 960–1279. The first “firecrackers” were created from sheets of paper filled with gunpowder and rolled into tubes with a fuse on one end. Even early on, fireworks became synonymous with celebrations and festivities.
Today, most fireworks are still made in China, but some come from Mexico and a few are made in the U.S., said Dawn Worley. She ought to know — Worley is the Idaho area manager and pyrotechnician for Fireworks America. This year, she is the lead operator of more than 20 fireworks shows in Idaho, including Nampa’s God and Country Show on July 3; the rest fall on the Fourth or later in the month.
Among the Fourth of July shows she is “shooting” or is managing are in Glenns Ferry, Donnelly, Melba, at Meridian Speedway, Star and Tamarack. In addition, Worley works throughout the year, shooting fireworks shows for the Scentsy Rock-A-Thon in September, “and then, Boise State football season begins,” Worley said.
In Boise, the fireworks show at Ann Morrison Park is through another company, Western Display Fireworks, a company serving Oregon, Washington and Idaho that has been providing aerial display shows for 75 years. Thomas Bates, president, said he has been a lead pyrotechnician for about 20 years and in addition to Boise, they are doing shows in Kuna, McCall and at Melaleuca Field in Idaho Falls. “We shoot about 200 shows a year,” he said.
BEHIND THE SIZZLE AND FIZZLE
The state of Idaho does not have certification or training requirements for pyrotechnicians; however, individual national and regional fireworks companies do. For instance, Worley is certified through Pyrotechnics Guild International in aerial fireworks safety and hazardous materials training, among others. Both Fireworks America and Western Display require rigorous training annually. In addition, Bates said “all our leads get background checks. Fireworks are federally regulated through the ATF (Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms).”
Bates said even though most fireworks come from China, there are safety steps to ensure they meet the regulation standards of the American Pyrotechnics Association. For example, every fireworks shell goes through tests to make sure they can be transported safely, Bates said. “They drop it to see if it explodes; they put it in an oven — they actually bake it.” You’ve got to be careful and confident you’re carrying a safe load when you’re working with “hundreds of thousands of pounds of explosives,” Bates said.
Worley has been in the exploding business for more than a decade, she said. “I’ve been doing this for 13 or 14 years. My first shoot was at Tamarack Resort on New Year’s Eve.” Her aunt and uncle were pyrotechnicians and needed help for that show, she said. “I never had a clue I was going to get into this.” After that first time, she was hooked.
Worley said her first fireworks memories are of lighting spinning ground flowers when she was a kid. “And sparklers, of course.”
SHOOTING STAR BASICS
You may have observed that fireworks displays always have an area beneath the rocketing explosions that is cordoned off from the crowd. Worley said the size of that area can fluctuate, depending on the size of the fireworks. The operators determine how large an area needs to be cleared “for the shell to break,” she said. “We need 70 feet per inch of a shell. So for a 2-inch shell, 140 feet is needed for our fallout.”
Bates said his crew is equipped with fire extinguishers around the discharge site to keep fires at bay. “A big thing going up in the sky exploding — some of it can come back down to the ground,” he said.
Fireworks operators work closely with local fire departments, too, providing fireworks training to them, including how to inspect fireworks, prior to shooting the display. In addition, fire departments often donate their castoff “turnouts” — their fire protection gear — to the fireworks operators when they get new ones. “We also wear non-synthetic clothing — so no static electricity,” said Worley. And, “if we’re lighting (the fireworks), we wear long-sleeve shirts, blue jeans, closed-toed shoes, eye (protection) and ear (protection).”
Bates said his operators take similar safety precautions, adding that most also wear hardhats or motorcycle helmets. They’ve never had any major accidents, but a few nicks and cuts are to be expected, he said.
Worley said in her line of business, it pays to be cautious and always on guard.
“They are explosives and as you are lighting them, they could explode at you, on you. … Sometimes they will break close above your heads.”
They also pay close attention to the weather. “The general rule of thumb is — any kind of lightning storm, we don’t shoot in,” Worley said.
An average fireworks show lasts between 15 and 20 minutes, said Worley, because “that’s what people’s attention span lasts.” And the average cost? You’re looking at a minimum of $15,000 going up in smoke.
The behind-the-scenes setup can be an all-day affair, said Worley — and they are always “ready to go” two hours before show time.
“For the God and Country show, we’ll work from 10 in the morning to 8 at night, then shoot live at 10.”
It’s equal parts exhausting and exhilarating, Worley said. If that sounds appealing, “we’re always recruiting. We’re always looking for help.”
Bates said the show at Ann Morrison is slated for a little over 18 minutes long. The one at Melaleuca in Idaho Falls is the “biggest fireworks show in Idaho” and lasts for 31 minutes, said Bates. “Our shows are computer fired, we use a program called Starfire, a U.S.-made firing system by ACE Pyro in Michigan.” The lead operator loads a script for that night’s fireworks show into a controller, said Bates. E-matches ignite the shells and send them shooting into the sky.
STARBURSTS THAT LIGHT UP THE SKY
Brocades. Spiders. Cakes. Strobes. These are just a few of the words in the American Pyrotechnics Association’s fireworks glossary of terms. For instance, a “brocade” is a “large number of spark trailing stars falling slowly in an umbrella pattern.” A “cake” is “a cluster of small tubes, linked by fuse, that fire small aerial effects at a rapid pace.” For more definitions, go to the website at americanpyro.com .
Worley said current fireworks trends include “titanium salutes” — “they’re the big loud booms we hear, the big noisemakers” and the colors red, white and blue — “a given for the Fourth.” Another one that’s popular is called the willow effect. “They burst into the sky then slowly come down to the ground like it’s raining. But my absolute favorite is called a ‘snail’ and the firework is shaped like a snail shell.”
Many aerial fireworks are named after flowers, said Worley, such as dahlias, chrysanthemums and peonies.
PICK YOUR PLACE: FIREWORKS DISPLAYS GO KA-BOOM
In the Treasure Valley, July Fourth celebrations can be an all-day affair, with events ranging from fun runs, to parades and fireworks. Here’s a rundown of some of the Independence Day celebrations around the valley this week, specifically Thursday.
BOISE
Festivities on the Fourth begin bright and early in downtown Boise with the annual Fourth of July Parade at 10 a.m. The parade will begin on Jefferson Street, loop down Fourth Street onto Bannock Street and loop back up to Jefferson Street via 11th Street.
Fireworks, monitored by a Boise Fire Department safety inspector who will be on site at all times, are set to erupt and fill the sky at Ann Morrison Park at 10:15 p.m. synced to music on 107.1 Hank FM. Before that, food and drink vendors will be at the park beginning at 6 p.m. Beer and wine will also be available to purchase at the park. For the festivities, the park’s fountain will feature red, white and blue lights.
Ann Morrison will be closed to vehicles all day on July 4, but folks wanting to see the fireworks can park legally at Julia Davis Park, Kathryn Albertson Park, the Boise Depot or Idaho Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park. According to the city of Boise, towing warnings will be delayed at those locations until 9 a.m. on July 5. People can also ride-share, walk or ride a bike. Outside food and drinks are also permitted in the park, but no glass bottles allowed. The city also asks attendees to leave drones, pets, and fireworks — including sparklers — at home.
After the fireworks show, Americana Boulevard will be closed for about 45 minutes to allow pedestrians to exit the park — don’t forget a flashlight. Boise police will also be on hand to assist pedestrians and make sure everyone gets home safely.
GARDEN CITY
In Garden City, the Boise Hawks will face the Missoula Paddleheads on July 3-6. Fireworks will be set off after the games on July 3, 4 and 5. Each game starts at 7:05 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Garden City. Tickets are available online at boisehawks.com and range from $11-50.
MERIDIAN
Storey Park will be ready for crowds on July 4 at 4 p.m. with food trucks and live music. Fireworks will be set off from the east side of the Meridian Speedway around 10:20 p.m.
KUNA
Fireworks by Fireworks America will be set off from Kuna Square behind City Hall around 10 p.m. on July 4.
NAMPA
Nampa’s God and Country Festival is at 6:30 p.m. on July 3 at the Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater. Gates for the festival open at 5:30 p.m. Admission to the amphitheater is free, but the center does charge for parking. The evening will feature live music from several Christian bands, speakers and fireworks, which will be set off at dusk. The main speaker of the night is Colin Higginbottom, the pastor for Awaken Church’s Boise campus. Fireworks will be set off as music from Townsquare Media’s KIDO AM and FM is playing.
CALDWELL
Celebrations for the Fourth of July start at 7 a.m. in Caldwell with a 5K and 1K run at Fairview Golf Course. The city will have a parade at 9 a.m., followed by a car show and food trucks at Memorial Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fireworks will start at dusk at Brothers Park.
STAR
Star’s Firecracker 5K race starts on July 4 at 8 a.m. After that, a parade with an extended route begins on West State Street in front of El Mariachi Loco at 10 a.m. Following the parade, which finishes on West Blake Drive, will be a luncheon, pie auction, water games and live music at the Star Riverhouse. Fireworks will start around 10:15 p.m. at Hunter’s Creek Park. Food vendors will be parked in the west parking lot of Hunter’s Creek from 3 p.m. until the end of the fireworks show.
McCALL
McCall will have its usual Lakeside Liberty Fest on the Fourth of July at Legacy Park, East Lake Street, beginning at dark. Food vendors will also be at the park at varying hours from July 4 to July 7.
TAMARACK
Tamarack Resort will host a variety of events through the Fourth of July weekend, culminating with a fireworks show on Saturday, July 6.
July 4 features a number of free activities from noon to 8 p.m. at the base of the mountain including yard games, water gun fights and music.
Friday, July 5 is the opening day for the Osprey Meadows Golf Course and from 2-6 p.m. there will be a Marina Party with DJs Spencer Durrell and Jeremiah Sorrells.
Saturday, July 6, offers live music from 12:30 to 9 p.m. Then, hop on the complementary shuttle in The Village around 9:30 p.m. and head to Poison Creek State Park for the Tamarack fireworks show at 10 p.m.
MELBA ‘OLD TYME’ FOURTH OF JULY
The Fourth starts early in Melba. There is a Fun Run at 7 a.m. followed at 9 a.m. by an Arts & Crafts Fair, games and concessions. The parade is at 10:30 a.m. followed by the Antique Tractor Pull and Car Show at the Senior Center at noon. The famous Chicken Round Up is at 3 p.m. Fireworks are at dusk with music broadcast on 101.9 FM the Bull.
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