Many of us will be waking on the Fourth to the opening salvo of gunpowder.
Yep, it’s that time of year, when every kid who has saved his allowance will be finding their way to the fireworks stand. Not to mention a few adults with a certain bent for destruction and smoke.
No matter how much griping we do, fireworks are a big part of the Fourth of July, right along with singed fingers, missing eyebrows and God knows what else we may wind up setting on fire.
Why do we do this?
From the start, Americans have acknowledged the Revolution with explosions, starting with the cannons and musketry that enabled us to win our independence from England, and moving onto more novel armament as the technology developed.
Our patriotic love of fireworks on the Fourth goes back to the first anniversary of our Independence Day that we had, back in 1777.
Here’s a newspaper account of the big party:
The evening was closed with the ringing of bells, and at night there was a grand exhibition of fireworks, which began and concluded with 13 rockets on the commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated. Every thing was conducted with the greatest order and decorum, and the face of joy and gladness was universal. Thus may the 4th of July, that glorious and ever memorable day, be celebrated through America, by the sons of freedom, from age to age till time shall be no more. Amen, and amen.
(Virginia Gazette, 18 July 1777, from the Fourth of July Celebrations database, www.american.edu).
We Americans can thank our British forefathers for all the whiz-bang fun. The English saw their first display at the marriage of King Henry VII back in 1486. And Capt. John Smith (remember Pocahontas’ old flame? No pun intended) brought them to America in the 17th century, according to dcpages.com, a Website about Washington, D.C. history.
And just like today, Smith learned the hard way what gunpowder can do. He wound up taking the slow boat home to England after getting into an accident with the stuff.
A lot has happened since those early days of our independence. But if anything, our love for explosive fun has increased. As has our capacity to lose limbs, garbage cans, mailboxes and anything else that winds up in the crosshairs of an illegal bottlerocket.
For all the wailing that goes on – from safety experts to ambulance sirens – fireworks are here to stay.
So for those of you not buying the abstinence-from-fireworks argument, here are a few precautions you can take to ensure safe, albeit explosive, fun.
• Keep a bucket of water, a hose or fire extinguisher handy when lighting fireworks.
• Always have an adult present.
• Make sure the area you’re lighting fireworks in is clear of flammable objects (including other people.)
• Wear eye protection when lighting fireworks.
• If a firework doesn’t go off, give it a half hour before approaching it. And then make sure you dispose your spent ‘crackers in a bucket of water.
• If you see people using fireworks in an unsafe manner, or illegal fireworks, call 911 immediately.
• Be aware that Kent only allows fireworks to be discharged between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. on the Fourth.
And let’s be thankful for our local emergency workers, who will be out in force on the Fourth, helping to keep it safe and sane. Be kind to them.
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