Behind the Scenes at the Fireworks Show

Laying on your back watching the show is awesome.

Who wasn’t at the at the fireworks show at the fairgrounds in Cottonwood, Arizona on Saturday? I know I was. But, odds are, I was someplace you weren’t. I was behind the scenes where all the action was happening.

Last year, I was at the show and it was awesome. I told my wife then that I really wanted to do a behind the scenes photo shoot of what all took place. Fortunately, that dream worked out and I got my wish.

It turns out that they arrive early in the morning and get everything setup. All the mortars are laid out and placed in trusses. The grand finale is setup. I found it interesting that the fuses are wrapped in tin foil.

Since this stuff is dangerous, they can’t just set up the show and then leave it for the rest of the day. That means they have to leave some people behind to watch over it. The whole day a few people are there watching over everything and keeping it safe from any sticky fingers or nefarious evil doers.

Later in the evening everyone shows up and starts doing the final checks. Everything is double and triple checked to make sure it’s safe and going to operate correctly. As the time get’s closer, the plastic is removed from off the top of the mortar tubes. It’s there to not only protect the rounds from heat but also keep any debris from getting inside the tubes.

With everything checked and ready to go the final briefing begins. Instructions are given out, teams are assigned their respective duties, any bystanders have been sent away, and checks for safety gear and protection is made.

The fireworks began with a great start. Soon the air was filled with the smell of sulfer. From above debris started falling as ash, embers, and remnants of mortars came back to earth. The dark sky slowly turned red from the glow of flares used to light the fuses. The sky would alternately flash white and blue with the explosions of fireworks.

Once, as I was taking some photos I felt a sharp sting on my head as one of the embers landed in my hair. Fortunately, I brushed it out quickly and you can’t even tell it was there. That’s why they said you should have something to cover your head. I eventually had to pull down my sleeves to protect my arms. I thought I was going to be hot but the temperature was beautiful and I was completely comfortable.

I got to light off some of the 5 inch mortars.

I was given the opportunity to launch some of the five inch mortars. It’s not hard to do so, really. When you approach the mortars the first thing you do is make sure that no other fuses are in the vicinity of the one you will be lighting. You place the tip of the fuse against the wooden crate. Don’t worry about the crate catching on fire, it won’t. Remove the protective covering off the tip of the fuse. The first couple of inches burn slowly compared to the main part of the fuse. The main part burns at the rate of 60 feet a second. I touch the end of the flare to the fuse tip and once I verify that it’s lit I turn my back to it and take a couple of short steps from it. That way, the concussion from the launch of the mortar doesn’t affect you nearly as much. They say that your supposed to keep your mouth open or chew gum to protect your ear drums.

The show only lasts 25 minutes. During that time, the mortars have to be reloaded at least once. They store the extra mortar rounds in metal trash cans to protect them from falling debri. Carefully, they are opened and dispensed to a loader who puts the mortars in the tubes.

Finally, the end of the show arrives. From on top of the hill a sudden barrage of fireworks takes off. The crowd oohs and ahhs at the site. Just when they think it’s over, from the bottom of the hill the REAL finale starts. Everywhere around us is lit up from the white glow of the fireworks taking off and racing into the sky. It is really amazing. I’m laying on my back taking photos as fast as I can to try to capture the moment. I completely forget about my iPod Touch in my back pocket this time. Suddenly, it dawns on me that it’s back there. Fortunately, I also had my wallet in my back pocket which is significantly bigger and most of my weight is on it. You’ll be happy to know my beloved iPod is completely unharmed from this experience.

The Grand Finale setup release all that fireworks goodness.

Laying on your back watching the finale is really awesome. It’s right above us and it seems as if the whole sky is sparkling. Everywhere glowing trails of exploding fireworks is falling. The fireworks keep streaking into the sky and exploding one after another. The music can be heard faintly in the background as explosion after explosion rips the sky. From the hill, fires can be seen from burning boxes and more fireworks launching. For a brief moment in time everything is forgotten except capturing the moment and trying to remember it for as long as possible. It really is awe inspiring.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of this event and I can’t wait for next year to do it again. It was something I will never forget and one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had.

Below you will find a small sample of the 177 photos I took of the show. If you would like to see the entire gallery on Facebook click here or on Flickr click here.