RedEye
What's a 4th of July without bombs bursting in air? Illinois ranked No. 5 last month in Internet searching for 4th of July fireworks displays, according to Yahoo! search data. To help you make your weekend to-Doodle list, RedEye previews fireworks shows in the city and looks at the booming fireworks business.
[ Sources: Mayor's Office of Special Events; Navy Pier; Melrose Pyrotechnics; Yahoo!; American Pyrotechnics Association; The National Fire Protection Association; Chicago municipal code ]
A taste for flare
Chicago hosts a fireworks celebration Thursday at the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park. The fireworks are set to begin at 9:31 p.m.
>> $125,000: City spending on the celebration. Price tag includes the fireworks, supplied by Kingsbury, Ind.-based Melrose Pyrotechnics; the barge from which the fireworks are set; other staffing and programming components.
>> 1 million: Number of spectators expected
>> 1/30th: The fireworks are run by advanced computer technology capable of igniting fireworks within 1/30th of a second.
>> 1,200 feet: The height the display will reach
>> 5,000: Number of fireworks
>> 20 minutes: Length of the show
Chicago lights up
The city and Navy Pier jointly put on the 4th of July fireworks in a simultaneous show, which is set to begin at 9:30 p.m. Friday. Fireworks will be shot from two barges--the city's barge will be located in the Monroe Street Harbor and Navy Pier's barge will be located near the pier, said Bob Kerns, director of operations for Melrose Pyrotechnics, which is producing both shows.
>> 300,000: The number of spectators expected for the city's show
>> 100,000: The number of spectators expected for the Navy Pier show
>> 3,600: The approximate number of shells to be used in Navy Pier show
>> 600 feet: The maximum height the Navy Pier display will reach
>> 100-200 feet: The height most Navy Pier fireworks will reach
>> $35,000: City spending for its part in the July 4 show
Have a blast all summer
On July 26, the city will put on the fireworks for Venetian Night at Queen's Landing at Congress Parkway and the lakefront. Every Wednesday and Saturday night, including this Saturday, Navy Pier hosts a fireworks show that lasts approximately 10 minutes.
>> 9:30 p.m.: Start time for the Wednesday shows
>> 10:15 p.m.: Start time for the Saturday shows
>> Aug. 30: The last Saturday show at Navy Pier.
>> Aug. 31: Special Labor Day weekend show starts at 9:30 p.m.
Bats ablaze
Fireworks shows are set for Friday and Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field after the Chicago White Sox play the Oakland Athletics. Melrose Pyrotechnics will produce the show, which should last 10 minutes. Nichole Manning, director of game operations for the Sox, said anyone in attendance at the game can stay for the fireworks. Both games start at 6:05 p.m.
Illegal pop
It is illegal in Chicago to keep, store, use, manufacture, assemble, mix, sell, handle, advertise or transport fireworks, including sparklers.
>> $200-$500: The penalty for having, keeping, storing or transporting fireworks for each offense
>> $200-$500: The penalty for advertising fireworks on a billboard or a handbill.
>> $250-$500: Using, selling, assembling, mixing or manufacturing fireworks carries a fine and/or incarceration for 10 to 30 days.
Fireworks often are purchased in Indiana and illegally brought into Illinois, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said. The owner of any motor vehicle that contains illegal fireworks is subjected to a $500 fine plus any towing and storage fees.
Getting burned
Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford estimated there were fewer than a dozen fireworks-related injuries last year in the city. The fire department doesn't classify fireworks-related burns separately from other burn injuries. Langford said hand burns are common as well as foot and leg burns caused by sparklers being dropped or thrown. "Sparklers are of particular interest to us. Sparklers can cause serious injury because they burn at very high temperatures," Langford said. "Our main concern is the injuries."
>> 9,200: Estimated fireworks-related injuries in the U.S. in 2006
>>Breakdown of those injuries
49% to the extremities
46% to the head
55% burns
30% contusions and lacerations
28% from sparklers, fountains and novelties, small fireworks such as poppers
75% to males
11% to people aged 15-19
16% to people aged 20-24
28% to people aged 25-44
>> July 4: More U.S. fires are reported that day than on any other day
>> 2,500: Estimated number of fireworks-related fires in the U.S. in 2005, including 1,800 structure fires and 700 vehicle fires
>> $39 million: Cost of direct property damage from fireworks in 2005
Putting out a fire
Fires often start when fireworks land against rooftops, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. The roofs burn and the fire spreads rapidly, he said.
[ Sources: Mayor's Office of Special Events; Navy Pier; Melrose Pyrotechnics; Yahoo!; American Pyrotechnics Association; The National Fire Protection Association; Chicago municipal code ]
A taste for flare
Chicago hosts a fireworks celebration Thursday at the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park. The fireworks are set to begin at 9:31 p.m.
>> $125,000: City spending on the celebration. Price tag includes the fireworks, supplied by Kingsbury, Ind.-based Melrose Pyrotechnics; the barge from which the fireworks are set; other staffing and programming components.
>> 1 million: Number of spectators expected
>> 1/30th: The fireworks are run by advanced computer technology capable of igniting fireworks within 1/30th of a second.
>> 1,200 feet: The height the display will reach
>> 5,000: Number of fireworks
>> 20 minutes: Length of the show
Chicago lights up
The city and Navy Pier jointly put on the 4th of July fireworks in a simultaneous show, which is set to begin at 9:30 p.m. Friday. Fireworks will be shot from two barges--the city's barge will be located in the Monroe Street Harbor and Navy Pier's barge will be located near the pier, said Bob Kerns, director of operations for Melrose Pyrotechnics, which is producing both shows.
>> 300,000: The number of spectators expected for the city's show
>> 100,000: The number of spectators expected for the Navy Pier show
>> 3,600: The approximate number of shells to be used in Navy Pier show
>> 600 feet: The maximum height the Navy Pier display will reach
>> 100-200 feet: The height most Navy Pier fireworks will reach
>> $35,000: City spending for its part in the July 4 show
Have a blast all summer
On July 26, the city will put on the fireworks for Venetian Night at Queen's Landing at Congress Parkway and the lakefront. Every Wednesday and Saturday night, including this Saturday, Navy Pier hosts a fireworks show that lasts approximately 10 minutes.
>> 9:30 p.m.: Start time for the Wednesday shows
>> 10:15 p.m.: Start time for the Saturday shows
>> Aug. 30: The last Saturday show at Navy Pier.
>> Aug. 31: Special Labor Day weekend show starts at 9:30 p.m.
Bats ablaze
Fireworks shows are set for Friday and Saturday at U.S. Cellular Field after the Chicago White Sox play the Oakland Athletics. Melrose Pyrotechnics will produce the show, which should last 10 minutes. Nichole Manning, director of game operations for the Sox, said anyone in attendance at the game can stay for the fireworks. Both games start at 6:05 p.m.
Illegal pop
It is illegal in Chicago to keep, store, use, manufacture, assemble, mix, sell, handle, advertise or transport fireworks, including sparklers.
>> $200-$500: The penalty for having, keeping, storing or transporting fireworks for each offense
>> $200-$500: The penalty for advertising fireworks on a billboard or a handbill.
>> $250-$500: Using, selling, assembling, mixing or manufacturing fireworks carries a fine and/or incarceration for 10 to 30 days.
Fireworks often are purchased in Indiana and illegally brought into Illinois, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said. The owner of any motor vehicle that contains illegal fireworks is subjected to a $500 fine plus any towing and storage fees.
Getting burned
Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford estimated there were fewer than a dozen fireworks-related injuries last year in the city. The fire department doesn't classify fireworks-related burns separately from other burn injuries. Langford said hand burns are common as well as foot and leg burns caused by sparklers being dropped or thrown. "Sparklers are of particular interest to us. Sparklers can cause serious injury because they burn at very high temperatures," Langford said. "Our main concern is the injuries."
>> 9,200: Estimated fireworks-related injuries in the U.S. in 2006
>>Breakdown of those injuries
49% to the extremities
46% to the head
55% burns
30% contusions and lacerations
28% from sparklers, fountains and novelties, small fireworks such as poppers
75% to males
11% to people aged 15-19
16% to people aged 20-24
28% to people aged 25-44
>> July 4: More U.S. fires are reported that day than on any other day
>> 2,500: Estimated number of fireworks-related fires in the U.S. in 2005, including 1,800 structure fires and 700 vehicle fires
>> $39 million: Cost of direct property damage from fireworks in 2005
Putting out a fire
Fires often start when fireworks land against rooftops, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. The roofs burn and the fire spreads rapidly, he said.