Some US cities are replacing 4th of July fireworks with environmentally friendly drones
BY Herschel Smith
10 months, 1 week ago
Fire threats and environmental concerns have prompted some US cities to forego traditional Fourth of July fireworks in favor of spectacular drone light shows this year.
Salt Lake City, Utah, tried out the alternative way of celebrating Independence Day on Saturday with its first-ever drone show.
The city’s mayor, Erin Mendenhall, said in a news release the new format marked an effort to minimize the area’s “high fire danger” and to lessen air quality problems caused by pyrotechnics.
“As temperatures rise and fire danger increases, we must be conscientious of both our air quality and the potential for wildfires,” Mendenhall said in the release.
Utah has an average of 800 to 1,000 wildfires each year, and the state is among the most wildfire-prone in the US, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.
In neighboring Colorado, also in its wildfire season, the City of Boulder made a similar decision this year with its first-ever nighttime drone show next week.
Blah, blah, blah. Nothing is ever good enough for these people. Did they call up mother Gaia before making that decision?
On another front, there is a question when the celebration is really supposed to occur.
Sunday, July 2, is the 247th anniversary of the Continental Congress voting to secede from the British Crown. That’s right, July 2 is America’s actual Independence Day.
The Declaration of Independence was approved/signed on July 4. But two days earlier, on July 2, the Continental Congress passed the resolution submitted by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, declaring that we were independent of Britain. This simple resolution was a stirring call to throw off the bonds of tyranny …
In the meantime, Congress appointed a committee to write a formal declaration of independence. Its members were John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Jefferson, the best writer in the group, was the document’s primary author. Jefferson’s document read like a mission statement for the revolution and set up how this nation would be different from others—the people’s rights don’t come from the government. They come from God. The document was first presented to Congress for review on June 28, 1776.
After voting for independence on July 2, Congress turned its attention to finalizing the declaration. Over several days of debate, Congress made some alterations to the text, including adding the wording of Lee’s resolution of independence to the conclusion. The text of the declaration was approved by Congress on July 4 and sent off to be printed.
Then for me the case is clear. July 4th is really the day of celebration. They could have changed their minds in the mean time, but didn’t, and formally approved the declaration on July 4th.
As for the drone, eh, whatever. Drones are cool, but they’re not fireworks. I’ll stick with John Adams.
It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
Whether it’s celebrated on July 2nd or July 4th, it should be celebrated with illuminations from one end of the continent to the other.
Boulder can keep its drones.
On July 3, 2023 at 11:23 pm, Dan said:
Boulder being Boulder. It’s been a commie leftist brain donor town for a LONG time. Since long before being liberal became fashionable.
On July 4, 2023 at 5:05 am, Hiding_Out said:
The problem with fireworks here in semi-rural Missouri is that it isn’t confined to just the 4th. It turns into a week of nightly fireworks that shake the house into all hours of the night. The increased production and use of the big booming fireworks has made the whole thing into a giant public nuisance. And I have one dog who just can’t handle it, quivering and panting until she finally exhausts herself.
I can live with an hour of that, but hour after hour, sometimes until 2 am or later, is nonsense. But of course we don’t have an attitude of consideration and care for neighbors anymore, amongst a large portion of our population. They just don’t give a damn.
Last year was the peak of insanity. On the Saturday prior to the 4th, it was like living through a sustained artillery barrage. Seriously, it was insane.
Presumably due to the general inflation having finally caught up to everybody, this year has been much more tame.
I don’t like the idea of banning them, but at some point the public nuisance becomes unbearable. If we lived in a good Christian society it wouldn’t be necessary, as people would naturally care more for their neighbors than for their own indulgence. But of course that’s not where we are.
On July 4, 2023 at 7:10 am, redclay7 said:
Hard to believe it has been nine (!) years ago an early drone enthusiast first flew his drone into and through a fireworks display over a body of water here in the USA https://youtu.be/a9KZ3jgbbmI and unless I miss my guess, I believe the reaction was awesome, but also triggered the first calls from govt. to regulate drones to keep them from such ‘unapproved’ uses – and now all drones are regulated over a certain size and weight and must be registered and owners licensed? This first use of a drone inside of a fireworks display is what my idea of drones and fireworks should be, not using drones to save the environment with flashing light displays. I may have missed it, but do the drones have speakers to simulate explosive sounds? Sigh…redclay7
On July 4, 2023 at 7:10 am, Berserk Artillery Barrage said:
Sibling sent a funny then and now meme of the Gadsden flag update with a fruity looking cartoon snake saying pwease no steppy.
Local church used to do a raucous show with large crowd of spectators but due to massive migration and cost it is discontinued.
It would cause a traffic snarl on obsolete two lane road and some Karens of both sexes complained of fireworks debris and noise.
The Karenocracy is all about safety and security uber alles.
On July 4, 2023 at 7:20 am, JB said:
At 70 Im still lighting fuzes to things that go zoom and boom. If you cant sleep because Im awake at 2 am and still having a blast, oh well. Twice a year I celebrate to the fullest, and dancing drones with flashing lights make for a target rich environment and not a substitute for exploding shells. Cops around here sit back and watch, as they’d have to arrest the entire neighborhood.
I bet cities like Boulder wont fly the Colors because of what it stands for.
On July 4, 2023 at 7:56 am, Joe Blow said:
Its funny seeing urban municipalities (with very little ‘green’ to burn) banning fireworks over wildfire concerns… due to global warming. Of course.
Here in the country we’re having our biggest show yet! Big company out of NY doing the honors, cost em quite a mint I hear.
On July 4, 2023 at 5:59 pm, PGF said:
If there’s no abusively loud sound shockwaves it’s not a Fourth of July celebration. The pretty lights, in either case, are for the women folk and children.