Several of us here at The Eagle were remarking today that it seems like fireworks in many of our neighborhoods have been especially prominent this year. Are you experiencing the same thing?
Some of my favorite Fourth of July memories involve the neighbors all gathering together to share root beer floats and our collection of fireworks. There were a few years when multiple families on the block would pool their money and buy a stash together. But such firework celebrations also pose the risk of leaving a mess, keeping neighbors up at night, scaring pets, etc.
Do you embrace neighborhood fireworks, or are they bothersome nuisances?
14 Comments
They are dangerous to us all, once a family member, loved one or friend is seriously hurt , then the fools that pop them illegally anywhere in Sedgwick county will then realize the waste they are.
Safe poppers at lakes and such away from pets , elderly ,shift workers and the ill are the only real patriotic ways to celebrate besides going to the big public displays.
Big annoyance, primarily because neighbors have NO regard for time - shooting them until the wee hours of the morning - and property - fireworks refuse always ends piling up in my yard.
Basically, inconsiderate celebrations are the problem.
Amimals and combat vets hate fireworks. What part of scaring the _ _ _ _ out of them is Patriotic?
It screams “we don’t care about anyone else” and maybe that’s our problem.
I guess my neighbors are more considerate. We have a 10:30 cut-off except for ON the fourth and they’ve respected it. You can’t hear most of them in the house anyway. My kids are young and need sleep, as well as my hubby who has to work no matter the holiday. I’m glad to see that people still appreciate our “land of the free and home of the brave” and get out to celebrate. God bless America! America, bless God.
We just finished our fireworks about 2 hours ago, and by “we” I mean our whole neighborhood… the older gentlemen cousins (one a combat vet) who live across the street had a blast- they have no more family to enjoy things like this with. Our neighbors with the annoying dogs who bark year-round had their families over, (and trust me, their dogs are more annoying than any fireworks could ever be!) and 2 other families had family reunions. We enjoyed a fantastic evening celebrating our nation, though we all have VERY different political views! We all had a night enjoying family, and friends too. The backyard still has an occassional blast or two, though their family had gone on for almost an hour longer than most. My kids are finally asleep. My dog is curled up at my feet- she made it through the night un-terrified. We are all going to have wonderful memories of tonight for a long time. If you can’t appreciate any of that, then maybe it’s time to start planning your summer vacation destination to coincide with the 4th and travel abroad! God bless America!
Fireworks are a big, huge waste of money. They should declared illegal in the city & county. But, oh wait! How much would the city (and county) loose in revenue from permits to sell, permits to shoot off and what ever percentage of fireworks seller’s profits they take - if fireworks were outlawed? Guess that’s not going to happen.
If you want to blow something up, join the Army/Navy/Air Force and get paid to blow stuff up.
Love the celebration, we went to a local park in the wide open parking lot. There were 5-6 other groups of people lighting off there, it was great, the kids loved it and we were away from the immediate houses. Only bad part was, we seemed to be the only ones that cleaned up our mess, everyone else that was there just left everything in the parking lot, even though there were dumpsters a few feet away. Dissappointing to say the least that idiots can’t clean up after themselves.
Fireworks are a tradition in the USA. Even the White House has them. The 4th of July wouldn’t be the same without them. THis year, Wichita had fireworks in the Lawrence Dumont stadium. Since I don’t want to watch a baseball game, I figure that I can put on my own mini-display.
I use smaller consumer grade fireworks. I shoot them off away from roofs, cars, and trees. The only time I shoot fireworks off is on July 4th and I usually stop at 10:30 PM. I don’t allow my kids to shoot them off on their own without adult supervision. I always have a bucket of water on hand and douse the used shells in water before throwing them in the garbage. I clean up my mess the following morning when I can see. I once had a neighbor who told me that fireworks reminded him of the way the artillery shells of WWII sounded like but, he never complained. My dog get’s nervous around explosions and hides.
Living in Park City, we are allowed to do more varieties than Wichita can. The only annoying part to me is the 4 or 5 days leading up to the 4th when people are shooting them off after 11pm. As for the 4th, we had family, friends and neighbors over to celebrate and to shoot off fireworks. We piled all the big ones at the end of the driveway when we were done, and then yesterday morning went out and cleaned up the street. We had a wonderful time - it allowed some new neighbors to make new friends, and we celebrated an American tradition. Our husky/chow dog is petrified of fireworks (along with thunder and lightning), so we keep her in the house during the celebrations.
I was gratified to see our entire neighborhood (yes, even the combat veterans) ignoring the hand-wringing-liberal ban on these wonderful displays. As a retired WPD Lieutenant I am normally pre-disposed to following the law, but the fireworks ban is way over the top. It ’s time the emergency rooms and fire department just shut up, buckle down, and DO THEIR JOBS! There will be injuries and property damage - that’s why we pay doctors and purchase insurance. My only regret is the $4 gas it took to go to Missouri to get the good stuff - but it was worth it!
lovinmarriedlife,
Fireworks July 4th includng early AM July 5th is fine everone knows it’s coming. Spooky horses are secured and animals with sensitive ears put in. Your “Combat vet cousin” knows it’s coming. He might not like it as well by his rear tire on June 30 at 2 PM or July 10 at 10AM. Hope you had fun. As for getting even with the neighbors’ dogs and telling people you know nothing about to leave the country for the sake of fireworks- it seems a bit intense and probably Mr. L. K. Hall was also invited to the party.
My county has a curfew on fireworks, for one thing, so I suppose I can’t speak to the all hours complaint. But, jeez, people, when did you lose your childhood? It’s only once a year…
If your pets are scared, keep them indoors. And earplugs work for most people. Bah humbug to all of you downers. Yeah, we have to allow your whining because THIS is America, where everyone is entitled to their opinions. Wait, isn’t that what celebrating the 4th is all about? Hmmm.
Excuse me while I go eat some more homemade ice cream.
Yes, fireworks are an integral part of the 4th, but the trash and the total inconsideration about time are my two concerns.
First, the trash–take a look at Atwater Neighborhood City Hall parking lot on the 5th..you can’t even drive in there because of the mounds of trash left behind by irresponsible people.
Second, the explosions of pipe bombs until 2, 3 and 4AM in my neighborhood is a bit over the top. The police are overwhelmed with calls, and the inconsiderate louts just do not care about anyone but themselves–some of us must work on the following day.
In my neighborhood, everyone is very considerate and neat. We set our fireworks off starting shortly before dark, and finish slightly after dark. We cheer for any especially good ones our neighbors might have, and they cheer for ours. It’s just a great time with lots of families and friends all together celebrating our freedom.