July 4 celebrations include 5 more nights with fireworks

The familiar sounds of professional fireworks began Thursday night.

The phoooomp of the launch and the boom after the explosion created dazzling light were heard around McBride Stadium as Scarrette Pyrotechnics lit up the westside sky.

Fireworks will be part of community Fourth of July celebrations for five more nights, including four more Scarrette shows. The upcoming celebrations include:

• Cambridge City, Saturday at Creitz Park;
• Winchester, Saturday at Hummel Drive-in Theater;
• Richmond, Sunday at Roosevelt Hill in Glen Miller Park;
• Hagerstown, Monday at Hagerstown Airport;
• Hueston Woods State Park, Tuesday by the lodge; and
• Fountain City, July 9 at the park.

Scarrette will shoot the fireworks in Winchester, Richmond, Hagerstown and Fountain City. The company provided Thursday night's McBride Stadium display after the Richmond Jazz beat the Grand Lake Mariners, 14-3.

Weather postponed a June 11 Scarrette show for the Centerville Youth League, and a new date has yet to be announced.

In addition to the community events, of course, members of the community will set off their own fireworks. Indiana state law permits fireworks from 5 p.m. until two hours after sunset through July 9 with expanded hours of 9 a.m. until midnight on July 4.

Fireworks present a danger to people and property and require proper handling. Safety tips include:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks;
• Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities;
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse;
• Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks;
• Never pick up or try to re-light fireworks that fail to ignite;
• Never point or throw fireworks at anyone;
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap;
• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly;
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers; and
• Soak used fireworks with plenty of water before discarding.

Indiana American Water also asks Hoosiers lessen environmental pollution caused by fireworks, according to a news release.

Those shooting fireworks should immediately clean up debris to prevent pollutants from transferring into drinking water sources. The water company also asks they douse duds with water in a container to prevent water runoff into the ground, use low-perchlorate fireworks or participate in eco-friendly activities like laser shows and use compressed air to launch fireworks rather than gunpowder.