July 4th Rocket Traditions?

[mccordmw]

Does anyone else have a rocketry-related tradition for the 4th of July? Like hosting a launch, or something?

My tradition is to save up all the little turnings, fragments, and what-not from motor making. I save it for the 4th to dispose of in the burn bucket. The bits get tied up in tissue paper to make about 20 little golf-ball sized wads. I'll toss them into the burn bucket individually. The kids make calls on if it's smokey, red, green, or white. At the end, whoever guessed right on the most wins the prize (usually some candy).

After that, it's party poppers and snap-n-pops the rest of the night until the city fireworks show. Our county bans individual use of fireworks, and the local police patrol pretty aggressively, so we don't dare do anything else.

 

[MikeyDSlagle]

If it doesn't rain I'll fly Big Daddy here in my yard, everyone loves seeing it fly; or a cheap once and done bird. But it usually rains, it did yesterday but it cleared up just before dark so we were able to do a small version of our usual fireworks show. No city limits here so we do them all in my yard. I buy less and less each year and especially the loud booming stuff and mortar shells, now it's little fizzers and fountains, cars, tanks ,bugs etc for the youngun. I didn't buy any this year, let the near-wife and Squirt buy what they wanted .I was, of course, at work. But last night she enjoyed the mortars my dad fired so looks like I'll be buying the loud ones again before long. No gripes there. Lol

 

[Nytrunner]

Banned by county? That's unfortunate.

They're 'not permitted' in Huntsville/Madison limits, but unrestricted in the county. I drove to a friend's property outside to shoot some big candles and a box of mortars (Dirty Dozen, 12-shot canisters with effects, highly recommend) and Wow was the air thick with smoke!

Family used to do fireworks in the lot next to the house. Back home the cops would pretty much sit back and enjoy the show as long as no one did anything stupid (despite being able to issue citations for it)