The Fourth of July is a time for celebration across the country and fireworks are a crowd favorite each year. While fireworks can be fun to watch, they also can be very dangerous. In 2009, an estimated 3,432 children ages 15 and under had injuries involving fireworks, with most of these injuries occurring between the middle of June and the middle of July. Children and teenagers are the most likely people to be injured as a result of consumer fireworks. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately 40 percent of the people injured by fireworks were under the age of 15. (more)
Nonstop entertainment on three different stages, carnival rides, games, magic, demonstrations, food, birthday cake, a skydiver carrying a 7,000-square-foot flag, and of course a huge fireworks show kept many thousands of people entertained, as the largest all-volunteer 4thFest Celebration unfolded Sunday on Penn State's University Park campus. For photos, check http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/2290 and http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/2291 online. (more)
It takes a lot to put on one of the largest Fourth of July fireworks shows in the nation. Just ask Bernie Keisling, executive director of Central Pennsylvania 4thFest. "We have about 500 volunteers working on this event, with a core group working year-round," said Keisling, who has been the volunteer in charge of the event for the past seven years. "It's kind of like a Noah's Ark of the community. You're liable to see ministers, nurses, housewives, professors, mechanics, farmers ... there are at least two of everything you can possibly think of, all out here helping to put on this great big, family-friendly, patriotic birthday party." (more)
Independence Day celebrations almost always include fireworks of some kind. The Prevent Blindness America organization recommends attending professionally organized fireworks displays rather than buying and setting off your own. This view is echoed by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which collects and reports data on fireworks-related injuries every year. They report that 7,000 emergency room visits from fireworks-related injuries occurred during 2008, including seven deaths. In 2007, there were 11 deaths and 9,800 emergency room visits from fireworks-related injury. (more)
The Penn State Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics will provide special eyeglasses, free of charge, to fireworks fans at the Central PA 4thFest -- a State College Fourth-of-July event featuring patriotic entertainment by local artists, games, rides and, of course, a spectacular fireworks display. (more)
Organizers of the 4thFest Celebration on Penn State's University Park campus will be testing the fireworks at dusk this evening (June 29). The test firing will start around dusk, and should last about 15 minutes. "Since this is a choreographed show, timing is very important. We need to determine times that it takes to launch shells and get them to their maximum altitude. We need to record the time it takes for the shell to break, put out its display whether it's a willow or a peony, and then the time to decay all the little sparklies from the sky," said Gary Mayhew, chair of the 4thFest pyrotechnics committee. (more)
The Penn State Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics will provide special eyeglasses, free of charge, to spectators at the Central PA 4th Fest. The glasses can be used to identify the types of atoms responsible for producing the different colors of the fireworks. Astronomers use similar technology in their research labs and telescopes to determine the composition of extremely distant objects. The eyeglasses, made by American Paper Optics, will be distributed from 4-8 p.m. on July 4 at the astronomy department's Founders' Mall table at the Bryce Jordan Center. The glasses also will be distributed throughout the crowd during the fireworks show. (more)
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center presents "An American Salute," an Independence Day celebration, on the Medical Center front lawn. The concert, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 4, will feature a patriotic performance from the Hershey Symphony Orchestra. The event is free to the public. (more)
Although July Fourth is still two days away, local volunteers have been hard at work for a month in preparation for the Central PA 4thFest. Commonly in the top-10 best displays for July Fourth, the 4thFest hails in nearly 600 volunteers every year, with 80+ involved in the fireworks portion. Long-time volunteer Bob Williams said tens of thousands of man-hours have gone into the preparation for this event, beginning in fall 2007 with the music choreography, continuing up through the event, and finishing with the cleanup activities on July 5. Organizers say that volunteers are always needed -- although no pay is provided, lunch and dinner are, as are special viewing opportunities come the night of the Fourth. More than 150 organizations have contributed to the festivities to allow it to run so successfully in addition to the hundreds of volunteers organized by Central PA July 4th Inc, the nonprofit organization that has administered the local festivities since 2001.
According to 4thFest executive director Bernie Keisling, the fireworks display is "but a small part of the festivities," although it is a significant part of the day. That said, the 10,000-shell display to be launched at 9:15 p.m. is always a huge source of pride for the Penn State and State College communities. In addition to perhaps the largest Fourth of July pyrotechnic display run solely by unpaid volunteers, the 4thFest is also scheduled to include a day full of festivities for those of all ages. For photos of the 2008 pyrotechnics set-up, visit http://live.psu.edu/stilllife/1740 online. (more)
