Are you

[Meglamaniac 464]

A go see the local government sponsored fireworks show or are you the spend a few hundred dollars guy that puts on a show for the family/friends/neighborhood?

I'm a watching the big sponsored fireworks type

[supermike80 1,893]

Just now, Meglamaniac said:

A go see the local government sponsored fireworks show or are you the spend a few hundred dollars guy that puts on a show for the family/friends/neighborhood?

I'm a watching the big sponsored fireworks type

I enjoy both.   Our street does a really good show at the corner every year.   They drop some good coin.   And I can sit in my driveway and watch.  No crowds, no parking issues, food, beer and a bathroom.

The bigger shows are good too.  If you can deal with all the hassles I listed.

[listen2me 23 1,871]

We are going to a buddies camp as usual on Saturday.   A group out there puts on a nice show over the water each year.  Isnt as grand as the big shows but they do a pretty good job.  Usually go stand on a dock with a few beers for the best view.  

[Drizzay 717]

We only have half-ass fireworks for sale here in MN.  And I don't feel like driving over to WI to get the real stuff.

I have some little fireworks for the kids to be entertained by.

[posty 2,683]

I usually just watch "A Capitol Fourth" display on the tube...

[Fnord 2,225]

36 minutes ago, Drizzay said:

We only have half-ass fireworks for sale here in MN.  And I don't feel like driving over to WI to get the real stuff.

I have some little fireworks for the kids to be entertained by.

My wife's extended family does a big 4th of July wingding yearly and that crew purchases some serious out of state gunpowder. The private show they put on is pretty excellent, in the SE corner of the state in the driftless zone where there are very few lakes.

What you won't catch me at is a focking parade. I hate parades and the 4th parades are the worst. Always so goddam hot and long and pointless. How many tootsie rolls do you think my kids can eat?

[thegeneral 3,141]

Can see a couple city / corp sponsored ones from my house. Will either stay in or go to friends place with rooftop deck for better views.

Best fireworks have ever seen was my brother’s house on a lake where everyone went bananas and spent tons on the mortars from the Indian Reservations around here. That was all day long 50 or so houses launching shet. By night it was complete chaos. Fun but a bit scary TBh

[Hawkeye21 2,398]

I live a mile outside of town and have a clear view of my town's fireworks.  We always watch them from my porch.

[Hardcore troubadour 15,317]

48 minutes ago, Fnord said:

My wife's extended family does a big 4th of July wingding yearly and that crew purchases some serious out of state gunpowder. The private show they put on is pretty excellent, in the SE corner of the state in the driftless zone where there are very few lakes.

What you won't catch me at is a focking parade. I hate parades and the 4th parades are the worst. Always so goddam hot and long and pointless. How many tootsie rolls do you think my kids can eat?

A lot

[Twinsdad 55]

21 minutes ago, Hawkeye21 said:

I live a mile outside of town and have a clear view of my town's fireworks.  We always watch them from my porch.

Same here.  I can sit on my front lawn and watch the city's fireworks.  They launch them less than a mile from my house.

[Fnord 2,225]

21 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

A lot

Well, yes. But not as many as get thrown!

[TheNewGirl 1,475]

We get a very small box of fireworks and do them at home. Kids are grown, so they don't really care much anymore, so it's mostly just for us. 

[Drizzay 717]

3 hours ago, Fnord said:

My wife's extended family does a big 4th of July wingding yearly and that crew purchases some serious out of state gunpowder. The private show they put on is pretty excellent, in the SE corner of the state in the driftless zone where there are very few lakes.

What you won't catch me at is a focking parade. I hate parades and the 4th parades are the worst. Always so goddam hot and long and pointless. How many tootsie rolls do you think my kids can eat?

I grew up down there.  The Coulee Region is one of God's little known natural wonders. 

[Fnord 2,225]

1 minute ago, Drizzay said:

I grew up down there.  The Coulee Region is one of God's little known natural wonders. 

I grew up near there as well. Gorgeous area, and a well kept secret.

[Sandy Loam 61]

3 hours ago, posty said:

I usually just watch "A Capitol Fourth" display on the tube...

I might do this. With the kids grown and gone, buying fireworks to compete with the neighbors just seems like a waste of money now. And the trailer park a mile away really goes out on the Fourth. They wait until the neighborhood displays around them die down and then set off the apocalypse. It sounds like Gettysburg.

I don't want to go to some lame local show and get stuck in traffic and all that.

Two of the best shows I've seen were the Coast Guard Festival in Michigan and the New Year's Eve display in downtown Dallas.

The former had layers of things exploding almost constantly, while the latter was a mix of kick-ass aerial fireworks, things spraying off the tower and an insane drone show.

[jerryskids 6,748]

We're going to the DBacks/Royals game this Friday, and there is a fireworks show after the game.  We've done that a few times.

Historically, we would often go to a small town in the Yoop of Michigan to visit family.  My inlaws had a nice place on a lake, and their next door neighbor used to put $15K+ into a massive display.  Several other houses on the lake went all out as well -- it was like a re-enactment of the Star Spangled Banner battle.   

They've since sold the house, and while we are going up to the same city for a family get together, it's not until the week after the 4th, so we won't see any up there this year.

While I occasionally got the $50 box for the kids when they were younger, I guess I've convinced myself that I prefer to let others do the work.   

[posty 2,683]

4 minutes ago, jerryskids said:

We're going to the DBacks/Royals game this Friday, and there is a fireworks show after the game.  We've done that a few times.

Historically, we would often go to a small town in the Yoop of Michigan to visit family.  My inlaws had a nice place on a lake, and their next door neighbor used to put $15K+ into a massive display.  Several other houses on the lake went all out as well -- it was like a re-enactment of the Star Spangled Banner battle.   

They've since sold the house, and while we are going up to the same city for a family get together, it's not until the week after the 4th, so we won't see any up there this year.

While I occasionally got the $50 box for the kids when they were younger, I guess I've convinced myself that I prefer to let others do the work.   

At least the fan that likes to get thrown out won't be there...

[jerryskids 6,748]

54 minutes ago, posty said:

At least the fan that likes to get thrown out won't be there...

Man, that idiot was all over our local sports radio the next day!  I could absolutely not believe his complete lack of remorse.  He basically said that he has season tix there and he never goes over the wall; well, he's been ejected three times, but at least two of them were wrong!  He then said if you look at the video of this latest one, even though he almost tumbled onto the field, it wasn't really interference!

What a maroon.

In the end he probably helped us, as the umps called it interference and it stood as a double, and it... probably... was a homer?  But you need to punish the behavior and not the result.  The behavior was to interfere with the DBacks catching the ball.  See ya!   

[supermike80 1,893]

5 hours ago, Fnord said:

I grew up near there as well. Gorgeous area, and a well kept secret.

Not no more.  I think you fail to realize the coverage this lightly trafficked message board gets.

Youve ruined it for everyone dummy

[Bier Meister 1,695]

not a big fireworks guy. i used to find a strategic place in San Francisco and watch about 3-4 shows.

could watch 1-2 from my parents' roof too

[easilyscan 919]

 

10 hours ago, Meglamaniac said:

are you the spend a few hundred dollars guy that puts on a show for the family/friends/neighborhood?

I was that guy up until seven or eight years ago. Since then, a neighbor who lives about half a mile away puts on an incredible show.

[BeenHereBefore 1,514]

17 hours ago, supermike80 said:

Our street does a really good show at the corner every year.   They drop some good coin.   And I can sit in my driveway and watch.  No crowds, no parking issues, food, beer and a bathroom.

This is what I done the last 7 years and 3 houses on my block put off a ton every 4th.

[Fnord 2,225]

19 hours ago, supermike80 said:

Not no more.  I think you fail to realize the coverage this lightly trafficked message board gets.

Youve ruined it for everyone dummy

Eh, I'm not worried. Not a lot of folks thinking "yaknow, for vacation this year, I wanna check out the rolling hills and bluffs by the Mississippi river in MN, WI, and IA. That sounds so much better than a beach, lake, mountains, cruise, or casino!"

You live in Michigan; got any plans to come explore driftless? I mean, you're relatively close...

[WhiteWonder 2,729]

There are so many municipalities fireworks around me that we really don't get any streets or neighborhoods putting on any sort of legit fireworks shows. Might have a block party where someone has a dozen to fire off but if im in the mood i'll just go to one of the township shows or to a friends with a clear view of one. 

[TimHauck 2,786]

On 7/2/2025 at 6:09 PM, supermike80 said:

Not no more.  I think you fail to realize the coverage this lightly trafficked message board gets.

Youve ruined it for everyone dummy

This is a joke, right?

[supermike80 1,893]

22 minutes ago, TimHauck said:

This is a joke, right?

You have to ask?

[TimHauck 2,786]

5 minutes ago, supermike80 said:

You have to ask?

At this place, yes

Edit: sorry I missed the joke, carry on.  To answer the question, I prefer actual shows