By Christopher Harper
I’ve had it with fireworks!
Like any young boy, I used to relish the days of cherry bombs and M-80s used to drop down school toilets. Watching our animals cower in corners for three or four days each year, I think it’s time to take the displays out into the country or substitute laser and drone shows.
Nearly three-quarters of pet owners in the United States told pollsters that animals get stressed out every Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve. Add major sports victories to the times animals dive under beds in Philadelphia.
Add the 11 people who die each year and more than 10,000 injured last year, and you come up with some decent reasons for dialing back the celebrations.
Part of the problem is that the fireworks industry lacks oversight. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said 43% of fireworks tested last year contained components that did not comply with the law, including faulty fuses, prohibited chemicals, and overloaded pyrotechnic materials.
Fortunately, there are some excellent alternatives to blowing stuff up.
Salt Lake City and a few other cities across the U.S. are opting to trade thunderous fireworks displays for colorful high-tech drone shows this Fourth of July week over fire safety and air quality concerns in dry areas.
Last week, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced it was replacing traditional fireworks for Independence festivities and those planned on July 24 for Pioneer Day.
Instead, the city held its first-ever drone show, which it said was an effort to combat the city’s high fire danger and alleviate air quality concerns.
“As temperatures rise and fire danger increases, we must be conscientious of both our air quality and the potential for fires,” Mendenhall said. “The summer holiday shows are a mainstay for Salt Lakers, and we’re excited about adapting to new technology which will provide a safe alternative for our residents and visitors.”
Salt Lake is about as conservative as it gets. But lefties are jumping on the bandwagon, too.
For example, Boulder, Colorado, has swapped pyrotechnics for drones. The city has celebrated Ralphie’s Independence Day Blast every year since 1941, according to the city’s website, at least until the COVID-19 pandemic. [Ralphie is the U of Colorado mascot].
Rather than fireworks being shot into the sky and bursting into colorful patterns, drone shows feature hundreds of illuminated tiny flying machines that execute pre-programmed patterns to music while forming shapes like soaring dragons, city logos, and the American flag.
Minneapolis is opting for lasers, simply because those technologies have been easier to locate than fireworks in recent years.
Fireworks have had a good ride, but it’s time to dial back the shows—just my nickel.
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