OK...try to not blow off any fingers tomorrow...

Of course they don't make the good stuff anymore... M-80s and Cherry Bombs. I used to have great fun throwing cherry bombs in the pond. They were waterproof and would light up a good 1o square ft area underwater and M-80s well, they were incredible. They would blow a mailbox to pieces and clean off the post. I once put one under a 3 gallon metal bucket. I blew the bucket into small pieces.
The most fun I ever had with an M-80 (well not me, someone else). This guy made a time fuse from a cigarette and put an M-80 into the end of the burning cigarette. There was a local parking lot where people cruised, parked, and hung out. The police would cruise through quite regular but they were not in mind, nothing in particular was except dropping this little bomb off and driving to the gas station about 50 yds away, getting gas and watching... so, with the time fuse lit the car stopped at the exit to the lot and a hand reached out the window and dropped the little time bomb on the edge of the drive. As fate would have it, the perps were at the gas pump getting gas and waiting for what was soon to come when the police made a slow cruise by the kids parked in the lot... tick tock... the patrol car slowly made its way to the exit, rolled up to a stop before pulling out at just the right time. It went off right beside the patrol car... a mushroom cloud about 20 ft high maybe three ft from the passenger side. The car didn't move, the kids started to head toward the car saying, "man, are you OK". I don't know what happened after that. The guy who had the fireworks got so paranoid they had to go to his house where he gathered up all his fireworks and went to hide them in the woods... paranoia was a way of life.
In the end no one was hurt and it couldn't have happened better. I imagine someone had to go change into new underwear.
It was long ago and far away... I wish they still made M-80s. If you are old enough you will remember them. It was said that an M-80 equalled 1/8 stick of dynamite.. they were some kind of firecracker. It was back when we had much more freedom. I almost forgot, boy, an M-80 would blow fireants everywhere! Alas.... those were the days.
Anyway... watch those fingers, eyes, and ears tomorrow. Those sparklers and bottle rockets can burn you!
IIRC, last year in San Deigo they had a huge display planned in the harbor and some moron hit the wrong button and shot off everything at once. I bet that was something to see!! It may have been New Years I don't remember.
 
PS: For those who are international. July 4th is independence day in the USA and traditionally celebrated with fireworks.
 
J
 

Oh do I remember M40's, M80's and even M200's.  I also had access to cherry bombs and seal bombs (both waterproofed).  Even lady-fingers were fun.
 
But, not any more!
 
This year I've got a case of the largest mortar shells they make for legal use (in Washington anyway).  These things are at least 4" long and almost 2" across!  Big boom, huge bang.  Heck, I've seen some professional displays that don't compare.  Tomorrow will be fun (it's been 10 years since I last had any).
 
Muhahahahahahaha!!!!!

Missed the reference to my old home town's major FAIL from last year!  Not only did they have one display fire ALL of their fireworks up all at once, but all of the displays around the bay (four or five of them) went up at the same time as well. 
 
Here's a bunch of videos from it - CRAZY!

They sell fireworks year round around here, for any reason.
 
I haven't bought fireworks since I quit mining in the mid 70's.
After dealing with dynamite I guess watching them is enough.
 
The best display I've ever seen was at Disneyland for the 25th anniversary.
Had the perfect view from my balcony. Could almost see them in the pit taking off.
We were on the third floor but man was I high. Oops.

Walking by a large fireworks display at Target the other day (legal in MN) made me reminisce about the intrigue associated with buying fireworks when we were teenagers in NJ.
 
There was a time when we drove through the Holland tunnel and waited to be approached by some shady looking character who asked if we wanted to buy fireworks.  We let him in the car and he gave us directions to an apartment building.  We went into an apartment in the building with him which was stacked floor to ceiling with fireworks (gotta’ love NY) … got our fireworks and got outa’ there.
 
Good times.  

craigb
Missed the reference to my old home town's major FAIL from last year!  Not only did they have one display fire ALL of their fireworks up all at once, but all of the displays around the bay (four or five of them) went up at the same time as well. 
 
Here's a bunch of videos from it - CRAZY!

I would have LOVED to see that in person. It was funny, the bay all filled with yachts, people set up everywhere... BANG!!!  
J

This reminds me of another story involving acid and fireworks. I was living in Tifton, GA. Georgia had outlawed fireworks a couple of years back. I think it was 1971. Someone, I don't remember who had lifted the leftover fireworks from that Plantation tourist trap on I-75 in S. GA just north of Tifton. There were a few large boxes of assorted rockets etc in the trunk and back seat of the car. We were somewhere out in the woods near Tifton and tripping... started to shoot off rockets, got paranoid.. woah, this is going to attract some attention so someone had the idea to just light them all but of course they didn't take them out of the car and set them up.
There were rockets flying out all the doors, out of the trunk and all around in the car... I am glad it wasn't my car, lol. It was over pretty quick and luckily the car didn't catch on fire. Talk about a trip... that was a trip, laff.
 
J