Albany, NY has some wonderful fireworks each year on the Empire State Plaza downtown.
Unfortunately, in the past few holidays, there’s been lots of competition from private individuals, and it has only became worse in the last two years when the Albany County legislature allowed individuals to buy items that had previously been banned.
The 4th of July was on a Tuesday in 2017, but I heard what sounded like a war zone each night from the 1st through the 5th.
I did laugh nervously when the family visited a CVS drug store, in adjacent Greene County, in June. Store space devoted to the fireworks was accompanied by a sign that warned people not to smoke near them. Smoking is illegal in most stores anyway, but it such an absurdist thing to see in a building that houses medicine and a pharmacy.
The three of us traversed out to see the downtown fireworks from the soccer field behind the high school, a couple miles from downtown. I had made a point of wearing ear plugs, the kind one uses to block out snoring or the like. I was very happy about that, because the competing local ordinance was close by, and therefore LOUD.
Unfortunately, the haze from the fireworks was THICK. As someone described it, “It was like morning fog by the river in the fall.” There is a potential impact on respiratory health to boot. I’ve NEVER seen on Facebook such unanimity from all over the city, antipathy for the new law.
As it turns out, the nearby Schenectady County legislature voted to ban, again, fireworks, but it widely ignored. Easy enough to do since all the counties around Schenectady still offer them for sale.
Googling for this post, I came across this story about pets suffering from late night fireworks. But it was about Albany, GEORGIA. So we’re not the only Albany suffering.
For ABC Wednesday
there’s also been some discussion here about veterans with PTSD and the “homebrew” fireworks – some veterans in the area even had yard signs made asking their neighbors to PLEASE not set off fireworks in the vicinity, and why.
I am not a fan of noise and I worry about sparks in our usually-dry summers, so I tend not to sleep much over Independence Day weekend.
Another symptom of the fragile “patriotism” of insecure Trump-lovers, I think. The modern American equivalent of Taliban members running around shooting off their assault weapons.
Fireworks are dangerous in terms of noise, pollution.
unfortunately, not only are fireworks ear-itatioin but so is awful music.
Wow, that is crazy! Maybe they should think about fining people who don’t hold to the times that they are allowed to use fire works! Or, … move to the country side:) It was done within an hour on the 4th:)
Fireworks are are terrible for babies and animals. We have strict rules here. Firework only on National Day and New Year. Private once have to be asked for permission and have to be very short !
Sounds…are not always fun, especially for people who suffer from Mysophonie (like me) So I can relate to your topic 😉
Have a ♥-warming AbC-day / -week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (ABC-team)
http://melodymusic.nl/21-e/
Creative post and photo for E ~ love fireworks but loud noises can be ear-tation ~ ^_^
There are noiseless fireworks with all the spectacle and no big bangs,they should make them more available. I do love the smell of fireworks must be a bit of nostalgia in that.
Fireworks should be illegal. They are illegal within the city limits of Houston, but the unincorporated area allows it so they’re easy for people to buy. Here they set up trailers along the side of the road or there are special firework stores. I’m shocked that CVS would sell them and have them inside their stores. What are they thinking? Of course, to their credit they don’t sell cigarettes and Walgreen’s still does. I’ve always thought that was a strange combination too…cigarettes in a pharmacy.
Different generation I guess, – I have lovely memories of fireworks when I was young, and still enjoy them…
This would fit for ABCW – F too!
I abhor such high decibel fireworks.
Happy ABCW!
There are a couple of people in my neighborhood who explode their fireworks around midnight leading to and from the 4th. Do they think people won’t hear them? I wonder if they are the same neighbors who set them off during the day. The Husband tells me that those fireworks are simply designed to make noise.
We have a “Celebration of Light” every summer sponsored by Honda at English Bay in the city of Vancouver. I went one year but the crowds – in the 100,00s was just too much for me to bear. But this year, the smoke from the fireworks had to fight with the smoke from all the wild fires in the province that has descended on the city and as far as where I live south of the city. It’s just awful and with the heat and humidity, summer has not been pleasant so far. I see today there’s a bit of wind, so let’s hope it drives the smoke away. We are also supposed to get rain by the weekend which will help with the fires.
Leslie
abcw team
Creative post. You covered F already 🙂