Fireworks Bring Boom Boom Pow to Sammamish

Monday is Boom Boom Pow, Pop, Bang, explosion night here in the USA and at the with food, entertainment and fireworks, the latter beginning at 10 p.m. This year, the show will be approximately 23 minutes of pyrotechnical brilliance, conceived by the professionals who make a living out of designing and launching fireworks.

Invented in the 700's by the Chinese to scare off evil spirits, fireworkshows have come a long way in 1,300 years. Instead of bamboo shoots filled with gun powder, they are now so technically accurate that many are choreographed to music and digitally run. For Sammamish, it will take two days to set up the display which will last less than a half hour and, I'm thinking, will cost mucho moulah. I used to worry that all the money spent on a community display could be put to better use. But what other event attracts almost everyone still in town and brings so much enjoyment but the Fourth of July fireworks? Even if you don't go to Sammamish Commons, you might still see the display off in the distance. People love fireworks, children especially.

Dogs do not. They believe the noise is that of the world coming to an end and if access to the outside is not available, they race to get under the bed, where they'll shiver for days.

I used to love going to the Kaanapali Fireworks show at the multi-million dollar golf course on Maui, to watch the July 4th show. We'd sit on the manicured lawn saying "ooooo" and "aaaaa" as the sparkly brilliance covered the dark Hawaiian sky. Then, one year, my dog ran away from home when she heard a boom. She took off through the pineapple fields across the street and never looked back. From what I know now, she found a car, belonging to a real estate agent who was conducting an open house miles from my house and jumped in the open window to wait for hours in the passenger seat. When the agent found her, he read her tag and drove her straight to my house where I'd been crying all afternoon after plastering the town with photos of my beloved dog. I was so grateful, I wrote a public thank you letter to the Lahaina newspaper, touting the generosity of this man who did not kick my pit bull out of his little Maui cruiser and just drive home. From what I heard afterwards, he was touched by the letter and a copy was displayed at his moonlighting job at a local restaurant. A month after he found my dog, he died in a surfing accident and at the funeral his wife told me that the letter had affected him greatly. I was glad I'd written it before he passed on, commending him for his good deed to my dog and myself. Lesson learned: Tell people you appreciate them while you still can and don't let animals outside, off leash on a day of fireworks.

I now have one dog who couldn't care less if the noises outside sound like the world is coming to an end and another dog who believes we must open the doors and run for safety. Trying to explain pyrotechnics to a dog is frustrating and time consuming.

The National Council on Fireworks Safety has some great recommendations (for areas that allow fireworks) which include: Keep a bucket of water or a hose at the site of your display. No one under the age of 12 should light fireworks. Keep spectators far back. Never try to re-light a dud - instead, immerse in water. No firecrackers in pockets. Don't drink and light. Watch children closely. Pets indoors.  

Play it safe and enjoy a show put on by the  experts this year and if you are outside the limits, remember to clean up after yourselves with a broom. Especially if you're one of those cul de sac crashers who borrow a street for your display.

Have a Safe Fourth everyone!