By Julie McCay Turner
Atlas PyroVision Entertainment Group is in Bedford today for the town’s once-in-five-years fireworks display, when hundreds of colorful shells will go off in less than half an hour.
With 46 years’ experience, veteran expert Dick McDowell shoots 40 to 50 fireworks shows a year and is coordinating Bedford’s display. His first show, when he was 10 years old, was in Ayer, his hometown. Because his father was the assistant Fire Chief, young McDowell met Atlas’s founder and dug holes all day to prep for the show. Although it was hard work, it paid off because he was allowed inside the safety perimeter where he’s remained ever since.
Show preparation has changed dramatically, and shells are no longer shot from holes in the ground. Tonight’s show will be shot from mortars secured in heavy wooden racks, with a single shot in each tube.
In a great safety improvement, modern mortars are made from high-density polyethelyne (HDPE) tubes that are more often known as water pipe. The new mortars afford greater protection against mis-fired shells because the HDPE will tear or peel rather than create shrapnel, as the old-fashioned galvanized steel mortars were prone to do.
The re-usable mortar racks travel from show to show, and need to be cleaned of the end caps from the prior round before being loaded for the next show. While some displays are driven by computers, McDowell will use actual fuses, and says the “computer’s in my head!”
McDowell carried a list of the kinds of shells that Bedford will see. The quantities range from a single shell, listed as a 6-pt Broc to Prp w/Pink Stb Pis, to 473 5-Meter Ematch shells. In all, several hundred shells will light the skies tonight. McDowell characterized the show as having lots of color and lots of noise.
The fireworks will begin around 9:30, and click here for what you need to know about parking, road closures and viewing areas.
Loading ...
