Fireworks Information
About Our Show
The Family 4th fireworks display is nationally acknowledged as one of the best in the country. The innovative and technologically advanced fireworks are set against the natural amphitheater of Lake Union and are synchronized to an inspiring score of traditional anthems and popular favorites. Time magazine has called the Family 4th at Lake Union one of the Top Five fireworks displays in the country.
The show is loaded with the highest quality shells selected from top fireworks manufacturers around the globe—from Italian electrical storms to shells suspended by parachutes. The innovative technology, combined with the artistry of master pyrotechnic designer Eric Tucker of Pyro Spectaculars, guarantees that every Family 4th fireworks display will be a new work of art.
Take a second to learn about the master pyrotechnic designer who has been working for months to bring fireworks dazzle to Seattle, and listen to an interview with Eric, recorded July 2, 2009 on 103.7 The Mountain with Marty Riemer.
Eric Tucker of Pyro Spectaculars
Since the early ‘80s, Eric Tucker has been in demand as a master pyrotechnic designer. Tucker designs controlled, precisely-timed European-style fireworks, featuring the highest quality shells from all over the world. Tucker's fireworks are wide-angled displays fully choreographed to the Family 4th musical score, utilizing cutting-edge digital technology to precisely time the fireworks to the millisecond.
Fireworks Facts
How High is Up?
How high up a firework will fly depends on its size. The spherical shells used in the Family 4th at Lake Union range from three inches in diameter (roughly the size of a baseball) to 12 inches (slightly smaller than a basketball). A simple rule of thumb in calculating how high a firework will ascend before it explodes is 100 feet of altitude for every inch of shell diameter, so a 12-inch shell explodes 1,200 feet in the air.
The breadth of the bloom of each firework also depends on the size of the shell. Generally the bloom is about 75 feet across for every inch of shell width, so that same 12-inch shell bursts into a bloom over 900 feet across, about the length of three football fields.
Lighting the Sky
Just what makes flashes of light in the sky on the Fourth of July patriotic? On the first Fourth of July celebration in 1776, Philadelphia patriots lit their windows with candles to let all know where they stood. Those loyal to the English crown kept their panes dark.
Rockets Red Glare
Celebration of the Fourth with rockets and gunpowder dates back to that celebrated day in 1776. Even as John Hancock's signature dried on the Declaration of Independence, the jubilant report of rifles and small arms fire filled the streets of Philadelphia. That evening 13 rockets were fired into the air above Philadelphia Commons and each warship in the new United States Navy fired 13 cannons to honor the young nation.
Green Thumb, Arm, Elbow…
In the 17th century, the torch-bearing men who lit fireworks fuses first covered themselves with water-soaked green leaves as protection from mishap and fire. These walking mounds of vegetation were referred to as "green men," and so some professional pyrotechnicians are still known by this nickname. Nowadays, fireworks are fired off using "electronic matches," an electrical charge triggered from a large control panel, which allows for greater precision in timing.
Black Powder
The black powder that shoots fireworks into the sky is a simple combination of common chemicals—sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal. Black powder does not gain its full volatility until it is properly processed. An important component in the potency enhancing process is a surprising ingredient—water. Even when mixed at the proper proportions, black powder will merely sputter and burn when ignited. However, if the powder is thoroughly mixed with water, ground with a heavy stone wheel and left out to dry—watch out!
Good as Gold
The easiest color to produce in pyrotechnics is thought to be gold—a straight mixture of charcoal and black powder. In fact, gold coloring was the first visual effect fireworks ever had. However, gold can also be one of the hardest colors to perfect.
Weeping Willows
What makes the weeping willow effect in a firework? Charcoal burns longer than explosive black powder's other ingredients. It is bits of charcoal—like the glowing embers in your barbecue - that drift slowly down to create the weeping willow effect.
Hear that Lonesome Whistle
The wailing shrieks of certain "whistler" shells are not caused by air passing over holes in the shell like a flute, but instead are the result of burning sodium salicytate—a chemical added to fireworks to create just such a delightful sound. Interestingly, sodium salicytate is closely related to aspirin, which can quiet post-Fourth headaches.
