robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Ever fished with "sweet tater"? Several large fire crackers wrapped in waterproof tape with varnished waterproof fuse, light the fuse, let it start burning good and toss in the shallow parts of the pond. Dip fish out with nets on poles. Farmers where I grew up used them to kill off excess fish that kept the others from growing large enough to be worth fishing for in their ponds. The fish were thrown to the farm cats and dogs or fed to the hogs. They were mostly too small to be worth cleaning to cook.

The state wildlife people would sometimes stock larger ponds in return for farmers allowing other people to fish. My Grandparents' neighbor had a huge pond that even had large mouth bass the wildlife people stocked and I fished there a lot. He had a dairy farm with a pretty large herd so lots of big ponds on his farm.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Vietnam vet here, some people are amazed I can tell the difference between some fireworks and gunfire. Then I will tell them if it was a .22, shotgun etc. And based on the # of shots and rhythm even tell then if a revolver, pump, bolt action or semi-auto. On rare occasions in the past, I have heard a full auto. Most of them that the cops track down are either AK's or an illegal conversion of a legal semi.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

In the South (well border state=Kentucky) we did fireworks New Year's, the 4th and Christmas. They were illegal to sell in Kentucky but not to use. Drive 10 miles across the bridge to southern Illinois the across the other bridge to Missouri and there was a whole row of supermarket sized fire work stands.
The small city of Cairo, Illinois at the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi did a huge display of the huge aerial ones that was partly paid for by people and small towns in all three states. It was about 5 miles in a straight line from the farmhouse porch and we could see them just fine because we were on top of one of the highest hills in that area.

Wyantry Loc: SW Colorado

Hope they confiscate his weapons and stuff the dude in a cell with a real “Bubba” . . . .

Wyantry Loc: SW Colorado

“We” (persons un-named) tried some “DuPont Spinners” once. Two sticks of 80% with #3 cap & standard fuse. After “ignition” all the fingerlings in an area of about thirty feet in diameter “stood up” on their tails out of the water. After a minute or so they recovered and dispersed. Total retrieve? One (1) ten inch Walleye. Oh well.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Ha ha, you should see how it happens in far east!

Warning to those who have PTSD and other war related health issues. The video below can trigger bad memories!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNx1hDt4z4I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQain59EwtY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjfHkOGO2ns

And at street level:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rz3_JjkSHDQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQtDvRr18XM

My uncle was in Saudi Arabia during the gulf war. He said when they sound the alarm of scud missiles coming in, people would rush to the basement to hide. The Filipinos on the otherhand (him included) would run to rooftops to watch it come down and get intercepted by patriots. It was like new year he said.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Sort of like things I saw in Vietnam (66-69).
Mini guns in C-47 cargo planes (Puff the Magic Dragon was the first plane with them and the name stuck.) working over a target. One solid glowing red line in the dark, twisting from the plane to the ground. And they only had a tracer every 10 rounds.
The other was the two "M-42 Dusters" stationed in our compound. When we would get a report of VC activity on the trails of the mountain side between us at the bottom and the Armed Forces Radio and TV Broadcasting Station on top, the M-42's would work the trails over - they had detailed maps and charts for gun elevation etc. so they could hit the trails in the dark. A truck loaded with ammo clips sat next to each duster and a bucket line of guys passing the ammo clips to the loader. Two barrels, 40mm AA gun tub in place of the M41 tank hull's turret @ 120rpm each barrel. The AA shell's velocity was so high that up close you saw the "green" inverse of the red tracers on each shell. Muzzle flashes coming so fast they looked permanent, the green trace and the exploding rounds walking back and forth across the mountainside was quite a fireworks show. Then add the tracers from our perimeter gun towers and bunkers with M-60 machine guns. They would fire at the dark areas of brush around where the rounds on the trails were exploding, just to hopefully catch dodging VC.
We had a large transit barracks (think free army hotel) for troops passing through and a lot of them were combat troops back to go to the hospital etc. They would usually bail out and open fire on the mountain side, in spite of the perimeter guards and duty NCO's and Officers screaming for them to hold their fire and get in the large shelter bunkers in case the VC repaid us with some mortars.
We didn't get much sleep on those nights, so if things were slow in the HQ the next day, everyone took turns catching cat naps. I was in the Tactical Operations Center (18 months) and later (6 months) the Admin NCO of the office that ran all the officer's clubs in the area, so I usually got a nap. But the guys in the motor pool and other "working" sections often didn't. Two or three nights of that in a row and those guys looked like Zombies.

radiojohn

This is how they do it in Lacrosse, WI....at 6 PM.

https://www.wxow.com/livestream/watch-6pm-skyrockers-new-years-eve-fireworks-show/article_87dbdc28-a769-11ee-a662-ff20238e4f73.html

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

kabooms are fun and look pretty and the bigger and more there is, the better, ...unless its heading your direction.
Would have been an ordeal then, but a great adventure story now.

mikee

In my area, it's happy 8:42 PM!!

Real Nikon Lover Loc: Simi Valley, CA

Fishing with Dupont Lures. LOL

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

I just remembered the type used to make "sweet tater".
It was 2 to 4 "M-80's" Tape them together real tight and the one whose fuss you lit would set the other off so it looked like one big blast. It looked like a miniature 1.5 to 2 foot version of WWII depth charges going off.
We also used them to get moles in the lawn or garden. Drop one down the mole's hole and push dirt in to contain the blast, and the moles would pop out of another entrance to get away from the pressure of the blast in their tunnel. Farm dogs or cats would be sitting watching for their fast food snack.

You could also take a heavy duty Mason Jar and fill it about 3/4 with finely powered lime then pour in vinegar to the brim, screw the lid on and toss it in the water as fast as you could. The acid in the vinegar reacted with the lime producing gases and when the pressure built up to where the jar couldn't hold it anymore, "BOOM". Two to three times as large as the sweet tater. The heavier duty the jar and lid, the bigger the Boom when it came.

Tdearing Loc: Rockport, TX

I start sedating my little Rat Terrier at about 7 PM on the 4th, Christmas, and New Years. Shes much happier for it.