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
 

I remember them! I had a friend that would bring them down from Wyoming. Murica!

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!!!!!

Great story Julien. :)
 
Looks like a couple of neighbors here kicked off the celebrations a bit early - we've been hearing fireworks on and off since 9 tonight.
 
This year will be the first time we really get to celebrate. The last two years we spent in Manhattan, right on 42nd - the 4th of July was more of an inconvenience than anything else for anyone living there. Talk about being locked in. But I still managed to get what it was all about. But tomorrow we'll be spending time w/ friends from here. I'm looking forward to it.
 
Back home, Canada Day isn't really celebrated all that much, for political reasons. Quebec's national holiday coincides w/ St. John the Baptist day - which technically is a holiday celebrating French throughout Canada but which some nationalist folks in Quebec sort of hijacked. And Quebec's national holiday/St. John IS celebrated.
 
Looking back, for all the flag waiving and the so-called national pride, there actually isn't much to be proud of. It's an excuse to get drunk out of your mind and to drink everywhere. Traditionally, the event is celebrated around a huge St-John fire, though this was actually put on hold a few years back when a drunk ran and jumped into the fire and, uh, died. The celebration goes on for as long as there is anyone standing. Often 8 or 9 the next morning.
 
By then, after the sun has come up, you'll typically find the whole city trashed, garbage everywhere in the streets, broken bottles, people passed out in bushes, some drunk out of their skull sitting in the grass... And others still yelling and waiving their flags, w/ fleur-de-lys painted on their face, some having lost half their clothes, etc...
 
Yeah, talk about a reason to be proud. We actually LOST a war a few hundred years ago (and we're holding a grudge and acting like victims ever since) and we get drunk and trash our place. Impressive.
 
That's one thing that blew me away in NY w/ the 4th of July. How civilized it all was, how well people behaved, w/ self-respect. This I can get. I love this country man, I really do. Same w/ my wife. 
 

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!

LMAO

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.

NC outlawed anything that flies and explodes.
 
SC didn't.
 
Road trip....problem solved.

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
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!!!!!

Oh man...you should try to figure out how to convert one into a huge firecracker!! BTW, I forgot about ladyfingers, they were pretty cool. I've thought about trying to make my own firecrackers (M-80 type). When I was a kid, like 12 or so, I learned to make my own black powder from charcoal, sulpher, and saltpeter. I guess a sturdy thick cardboard tube, plugs for the ends, a fuse, powder, and some melted wax would get me there. After unwrapping firecrackers (from what I remember) they are just powder with paper wrapped round and round it with a thicker paper on the outside... and a fuse.
I imagine if I made one I would be breaking at least 100 laws though... these days I don't know if it would be worth the risk to try to make a firecracker. Though it is still great fun to blow things up! Fireworks were made to be misused, IMHO.
Julien