An editor’s letter for a Vox magazine issue on Jun. 30, 2011 featuring an interview with a fireworks expert and a Fourth of July events calendar
It’s a miracle that I still have all my fingers and toes. Most of the year, I have a normal respect for fire, but when it nears July 4, like many Americans, I get a little crazy with explosives. I remember as early as second grade driving outside city limits to set off colorful fountains, Roman candles and assortments of noisy fireworks.
There were some close calls. (I don’t suggest using a homemade mortar tube even if it is “welded together.”) I have experienced singed hairs, shoes and clothing, even a couple burns on my hands, but luckily, no major injuries. In retrospect, it amazes me how freely my parents let me play with fireworks.
However, my pyro experience can’t even hold a sparkler to Bob Gerau. He is this week’s subject for A Conversation With (Page 13 and extended online). As a fireworks enthusiast and the owner of Bob’s Fireworks south of Columbia, he helps other Columbians get their fireworks fix. For more than 10 years, he has been collecting and enjoying ornamental explosives. He says that fireworks are no more dangerous than falling out of a bed. Although most people probably disagree with that, we can’t deny that he helps make the CoMo skies colorful.
In addition to amateur fireworks shows, there are many events in Columbia this holiday weekend for those who want to avoid handling matches (See Calendar, Page 14). The city’s Fourth of July celebration, Fire in the Sky, showcases fireworks choreographed to music.
And for those who want to avoid the blasts completely, Missouri Symphony’s Hot Summer Nights Patriotic Pops concert promises only the sounds of violins and trumpets from within the safety of the Missouri Theatre.
Click here to view the magazine page as a PDF.
