Daily Archives: July 5, 2006

Independence Day at the Capitol

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I’m on my lunch break, so I figured it would be time to post the fireworks fotos from last night at the Capitol. Some people prefer to go to the vicinity of the rodeo grounds in Mandan and have a tailgate party, while others prefer to attend the Symphony performance on the steps of the capitol building. We attend the latter. The Symphony performed some original material tonight, as well as some old favorites and Independence Day staples.

The are around the capitol was busy, but not as packed as the Capitol Mall itself. The grounds were closed to vehicle traffic and the crowd was of a good size. It didn’t compare to the 1989 celebration of the state’s centennial, but nothing really could. We were fortunate to get a spot up near the steps.

Nobody knew until the last minute whether the fireworks would be allowed to proceed, but thankfully they were given the green light. The parking lot east of the Highway Department building had a bunch of Fire Department officials parked there in their Suburbans, having a meeting of the minds to determine whether the risk outweighed the rewards. The breeze from earlier in the day subsided, they had hosed down the grass surrounding the fireworks staging area, and we got a really nice show.

I filled three 1-gigabyte cards with fireworks, and haven’t had a chance to find “the” photo of the evening. They’re all pretty good…they put on a heck of a show for us! I like the added touch that they always use the windows of the capitol building to display things such as the year on New Year’s Day, or “4th” for Independence Day.

Lunch break’s over…back to work! Hope you enjoy the photos and were able to partake in last night’s activities for yourself.

Not with a bang…but with a whimper

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Not that I’m a huge T.S. Eliot fan, but one ought to make a literary reference whenever the opportunity presents itself. This picture pretty much shows the state of fireworks stands in the B-M area this year; a multi-county burn ban took the wind out of their sales almost as soon as the first tent stakes had been pounded.

I know a couple of guys who ran fireworks stands this year. The only real business they had was from people who were on their way to Detroit Lakes for the big events there, or headed to other parts where fireworks were still legal. Most of these guys are entrepreneurs, and this is going to hit them pretty hard.

Even the big fireworks at the State Capitol and the Mandan Rodeo were in jeopardy this year; there were several cars and trucks of fire department staff parked in a huddle on the east side of the Capitol last night, as marshalls and chieftans weighed the decision of whether or not to go on with the big show. Only at the very last minute was approval given to launch the display…the possibility of a strong breeze exceeding 15mph had them worried about the danger. Well before the show, the grassy area to the east of the Highway Department and Capitol buildings was hosed down, especially around all the launchers. Fortunately the breeze died down and we were able to go on with the show.