Time Magazine Article about 1997 Fireworks Displays

This article indicates some of the ever increasing expectations placed on those in the fireworks industry. It also lists a number of locations that may be using barges for fireworks displays.

THE ARTS/COOL SUMMER FUN: OH, SAY CAN YOU SEE?
THE RACE GOES ON FOR EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR PYROTECHNICS

Time Magazine
05-26-1997, pp 106+.
John Adams seems to have started it all. The founding of our country, the Founding Father wrote to his wife Abigail, "ought to 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 forevermore." And thus, he predicted, we would always remember that momentous date in 1776--the second of July.

Adams was off by a couple of days (he was marking the resolution of independence; we celebrate the signing of the Declaration). But regarding the guns, bonfires and illuminations, he was right on target. In typically American fashion, fireworks displays have grown passe by overuse; they embellish everything these days from baseball games to Disney movie openings. Still, there's something irresistible, and irreplaceable, about a July 4 sound-and-light show: "And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air..."

As they always have been, fireworks are handcrafted. Computers may trigger the bursts and create complex "choreography," but the basic recipe for many fireworks has remained unchanged for a hundred years: potassium nitrate or perchlorate; sulfur, charcoal or aluminum; plus assorted chemicals to produce varied hues. "With all the space-age advances," says Dave Oppermann, a "play-by-play" commentator, "they're still making fireworks much the way they have for hundreds of years." John Adams would be content--give or take a day or two.

BEHIND THE SPECTACLES

Creating fireworks is a competitive and secretive business. A few family-owned companies, such as Zambelli Internationale, Fireworks by Grucci and Pyro Spectaculars, compete fiercely for the big displays and closely guard their "recipes"--the special mix of chemicals they use to create their unique effects.

A VIEWER'S GUIDE TO DAZZLING DISPLAYS

Macy's Fireworks Spectacular in NEW YORK CITY, emanating from four barges in the East River, is the nation's biggest July 4 show.

Navy Pier in CHICAGO offers two displays, on July 4 and 5, with live entertainment too.

PBS will again televise A Capitol Fourth from WASHINGTON. A crowd of 450,000 is expected; the show features a salute to West Side Story.

The aerial portraits created by the Japanese company Kase make SEATTLE's Family Fourth at Lake Union one of the nation's most distinctive.

The three-day Fair SAINT LOUIS (July 4, 5, 6) at the Gateway Arch boasts fireworks every night.

Copyright 1997 Time Inc.

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