Sparklers on the Fourth of July: The Next Generation

This is actually the third time I've written a blog post about "Sparklers on the Fourth of July". The first two times were in 2011 in Sparklers on the Fourth of July! and Sparklers on the Fourth: Upon Further Review. The goal of the first one was to discuss...well...the topic of...sparklers on the Fourth of July. My intention was pretty simple--to talk about one of my favorite memories of Fourth of July celebrations when I was a kid, namely...running around with sparklers! However, the original blog ended up delving deeper than expected into my memories (or semi-false memories as it turned out) of the big Bicentennial celebration around the Fourth of July in 1976 and I didn't even really discuss the topic of sparklers until the end. And then in the second installment I don't think sparklers were even mentioned! That one was all about the detective work involved in unraveling the mysteries of the mind that were brought up in the first part. So here we are seven years later(!!!), and I think it's finally time to touch on this subject once again...

In July of 2011 The Little Monsters were indeed little. The elder (The Little Monster) was only five years old and the younger (The Beast) had just recently turned two. Seven years later finds them at twelve and nine, respectively. My how time flies. And what a reminder of just how long ago it was when I was a kid myself.

The Little Monster around Memorial Day 2011

The Beast at her first fireworks show July 2011

The Little Monsters celebrating Star Wars Day back in May

In the original Sparklers on the Fourth of July post I talked about how much fun it was as a kid to be given lighted sparklers to run around with. Sometimes we would go to large organized firework displays near our hometown. Other times we'd simply stay home for a barbeque. If we did the latter someone invariably would have a supply of fireworks that would be set off after the sun set and as the mosquitoes were coming out. These fireworks were obviously not of the same caliber as the "professional" displays, but you got to witness them MUCH closer--so they generally seemed every bit as impressive (and even MORE dangerous!). Those pyrotechnics were generally handled by adults (or at least teenaged relatives who SEEMED like adults to my seven-year-old self). But that's not to say there wasn't ANYTHING dangerous for the kids to handle! We had sparklers--little metal wands with a silver/grey coating that would let off a shower of relatively safe sparks when lit. Of course you DID need to handle matches or a lighter to ignite those sparks, but that's beside the point. It doesn't take much to entertain a little kid (or at least it didn't take much back in the '70s before we had all these handheld devices that put the world at your fingertips). I can still recall the feeling of magic and power I felt when those sparks started flying. The visual experience wasn't much different from what it looked like watching a welder at work--except that you wouldn't wear goggles to protect your eyes and thick leather gloves to protect your hands. Nope, there was apparently no need to protect anything. You'd run around shirtless and shoeless, wearing cut-off jean shorts while those sparks glittered all around you. You certainly didn't want to touch that hot metal stick during or after the show, but otherwise there were few concerns. Not only could a kid try to write his/her name in the dark or pretend to be some sort of magician or wizard, but you got to feel like you really were part of the celebration and participate in it.

Indicative of what I (in the middle) might have worn while playing with sparklers

But a funny thing happened not long after those great old days. The Fourth of July would still roll around every year of course, but for some strange reason I kept getting older as each one arrived. Before you knew it I was an adult I became one of the ones who would be responsible (or irresponsible) for setting off the family firework display; The one who would drive to the place where we'd watch the big-time firework displays; The one who would comfort a Little Monster who was afraid of the noise made by those firework displays... Eventually I noticed how that gradual change over time had completely altered how I experienced the Fourth of July. I began to miss the innocent magic and wonder I felt as a kid. I missed being the one who took it all in as a new experience. ...I missed the sparklers!

Fireworks have always been a bit of a fringe thing, legal-wise. They seem like a family-friendly, fun and exciting product geared toward enhancing a Fourth of July celebration and other occasions. But on the other hand...they also contain gunpowder! Fireworks are currently illegal in Massachusetts (where we live) as well as in many other states. You're not SUPPOSED to buy, own or set off fireworks in our state. But... They're legal in nearby New Hampshire and other places. There's really nothing stopping you from driving to one of those areas where they are legal, purchasing them and bringing them stealthily back to your home to set off in your back yard. The first few years that the Little Monster experienced the Fourth of July she was pretty frightened by big firework displays (mainly because of the noise). That's not uncommon of course. But I remember thinking about how much fun I had always had using sparklers and was lamenting the fact that kids didn't get to use them any more. Despite how minor a threat they posed they were still under the umbrella of "fireworks"--and thus illegal. I felt bad that the Little Monsters were growing up in a world where they couldn't experience the thrill of running around with a lit sparkler in their hands, with the constant knowledge that in addition to being fun and exciting they were also kinda-sorta dangerous!

The good news is that The Monsters WERE finally able to get the sparkler experience a number of years back when my sister and brother-in-law supplied them with some during one of their Fourth of July celebrations. My brother-in-law was a big fan of taking the trip to New Hampshire and loading up on tons of fun and dangerous fireworks to shoot off. Suddenly it was like the old days again--the adults throwing caution to the wind and setting off all sorts of loud and colorful pyrotechnics, while a new generation of kids started running around with lit sparklers in their hands. I suppose one could almost see sparklers as a sort of "gateway drug" to the world of fireworks.

And now we find ourselves in 2018. A couple months ago The Wife and I went on an overnight hiking adventure in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. New Hampshire? What did I say earlier about New Hampshire? Something about fireworks being legal there? Well, we didn't go to a firework store, but we DID stop at a highway rest stop/service area to relieve ourselves. And while perusing the souvenirs at a convenience store there I spotted this "All-American Fireworks Assortment"!

Now, calling these items "Fireworks" is going a bit far, but it DID have a number of old-school kid favorites that I remember loving back in my old Monster Kid days of yore. Not only are there a few boxes of the coveted sparklers, but it also includes some of those champagne bottle "party poppers" (better than being a "party pooper", eh?), a box of Bang Snaps that you throw on the ground and three boxes of those little black cylinders you place on the ground, ignite and watch smoky black "snakes" "grow" out of! I loved ALL of those things as a kid! And now I would be able to share them all with the Little Monsters!

Well, now it's the Fourth of July, and it's finally time to pull out that "All-American Fireworks Assortment". We're staying at The Wife's parents' house over the holiday (which just happens to be near the New Hampshire border by the way...). As tame as my "Firework Assortment" already seemed before, it's now even more of a lightweight. That's because The Wife's brother took the short trek up to New Hampshire a couple days ago and bought a few REAL fireworks--as well as LOTS of additional sparklers in different colors and styles. Looks like we're going to have a real, honest-to-goodness Fourth of July celebration like the ones I remember from my youth!

Here are The (not so) Little Monsters enjoying some pre-Fourth sparkler fun a couple days ago. I was a bit nervous about them running around the campfire with lit sparklers while wearing nothing but their bathing suits. But then I remembered what I mentioned earlier about how I'd do the exact same thing shirtless and shoeless in cut-off jean shorts. I guess it really IS time to pass this fun and slightly-dangerous tradition on to a new generation!

The remnants the next morning

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!