In our continuing Artists In Community series, we went out and asked artists a number of questions about our nation's annual birthday celebration. The response was so huge, that we've turned this into a three part series, each with a specific topic of discussion.
For round two, we wanted to get a pulse on the most popular fireworks of the season. Once again, we were "bomb"arded (see what I did there) with a "fire"storm (I can't help myself) of "sparkling" answers (I'm out of control) from artists and authors across all genres. Ground blooms, sparklers and anything that explodes were the popular answers.
While we enjoy reading what artists are thinking about the holidays, we love reading your thoughts as well, so don't forget to post your own answers below in the comments section.
Enjoy a safe and fun Fourth of July holiday!
- GO BACK TO PART 1: CELEBRATING OUR NATION
- CONTINUE TO PART 3: TRUE FREEDOM
Q: What is your favorite firework to set off?
Jonathan Steingard (Hawk Nelson): My favorite firework is the one that makes the biggest BOOM! My wife and I set off one called the Tail Gator once. It fell over and fired what seemed like grenades directly at us. Pretty much the best thing ever.
Justin Benner (Hawk Nelson): Roman candles are pretty neat although they've always made me a bit nervous! I've always liked sparklers. They're safe and fun!
Jonny Diaz: Anything that shoots up in the air. The bigger the better!
Chris Brink (The Museum): Black Cats. Definitely Black Cats.
David Zach (Remedy Drive): Sounds crazy but I really love the worms. I've always been fascinated by them.
Todd Larson (An Epic, No Less): Snakes.
Adam Cappa: My favorite one to set off, besides pop rocks, are definitely the mortars! Go big or go home!
Cheri Keaggy: One of my favorite fireworks is those angry little flower blossoms that spin around on the ground making a buzzing sound while changing from one color to the next. I can't remember what they're called, but it was fun to see how long they would last. And, of course, they never lasted as long as you wanted them to.
Joshua Schmidt (Canopy Red): Anything green!
Montell Jordan: I'm not sure of the name of this particular firework, (I believe it was called a "snake") but it would spin around really fast on the ground.
John Schlitt: M80s. The real ones. Not the wimpy ones.
Laura Allen (No Other Name): I like to leave the fireworks to the professionals. But I do love a good sparkler.
Sam Allen (No Other Name): An M-80 obviously. I like explosives.
Chad Smith (No Other Name): I like the big mortar tubes. Those are the best...unless you knock it over.
Jason Bare: FIREWORKS! WOW! I like them all, but my favorite has to be the simple, yet mind-blowing "SPARKLER." Still to this day I will light one and start writing my name or various words across the sky. I'm always mesmerized by the afterglow as the thin burst of light burns to extinction. It always reminds me, "we only have a short time to shine!" Hopefully we will shine enough to leave the afterglow.
Yancy: Sparklers are as wild as it gets for me. I'm a jumpy and clumsy person!
Karyn Williams: I stick to the sparklers! That's as daring as I get. You don't want me setting off any "real" fireworks....I'm quite sure I would light something on fire!
Andy Needham (Andy Needham Band): Fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts so we had to settle for watching a professional fireworks display at the local ball field. Truth be told, I have never lit a firework, but I also still have all 10 of my fingers.
Jordan Elias: Sparklers, I suppose.
James Mileti (The Sunrise): I'm not really into fireworks. I'm too scared I'm going to blow myself up.
Justin Rizzo: I grew up in New York, where setting off fireworks was illegal without a permit. So we only had sparklers and the snap cap things. We still had fun with those!
Michael Milton (Author): My favorite firework was and remains bottle rockets. There is nothing like downing an ice cold Coca Cola on a muggy July night, and then using that small, classic style, green, glass bottle and then positioning the empty bottle towards a pasture, filling it with about a half dozen rockets, lighting them and running! From behind a big Beechnut tree, my pretend "bunker," I would then watch in awe as the bottle rockets streaked across the summer night sky, exploding like mortars over the army of mooing Holsteins and Gurnseys.
Perry LaHaie: The kind that shoot sparks way up in the air.
Victoria Griffith (Author): Most people would probably choose sparklers, hands down! I actually enjoyed the Poppers! Honestly at twenty-four, I think I'd still enjoy them just as much!
David Teems (Author): Have to guess on this one. Not sure what they’re called but you stick them in an empty coke bottle, light them, and get out of the way. As for memories, it’s the sulfur afterstrike smell, that smoky gloom left after a barrage of fireworks.
