Vicarious Fireworks Tours

[XLFD]

Independence Day is finally here in 2020, and it's definitely not going to look like any other previous Fourth of July that people in our area have witnessed.  The parade:  cancelled.  The fireworks:  cancelled.  Other large gatherings:  cancelled.  

Today should be a day of celebrating that momentous event back 244 years ago, when our Founding Fathers declared they were through with being ruled by a tyrannical island country across the Atlantic Ocean.  Instead over the last months, we have seen elements in our society try to erase the past by toppling statues and distorting our history so that only the worst of it is visible.  Adding to the division we have a mysterious virus in the background, with medical experts mutating the science by injecting loads of election-year politics into the nucleus of the nation's cell.  

On the bright side, we have great weather, the tourists are here in force spending their money at businesses that are on the brink, and four months into a global pandemic, still no casualties in our county despite having the tourism season 40% through.  Likewise, we can still celebrate with outdoor barbecues, go down to the beach, the new splash pad, or the new public pool at the new public marina, and even enjoy some other sports and recreational activities.  

And if tonight is like any other night this week, you will hear plenty of fireworks and see plenty of light shows in the sky from individuals celebrating the occasion.  Between dusk and 11:45 PM, there will be personal fireworks shows as you've probably never seen them before in Ludington, with consumer fireworks being readily available to the masses and a need to fill the vacuum of the loss of all of our area's fireworks displays.  

Personally, I've already enjoyed enough fireworks lit by my hand this year, so I am planning on touring the City of Ludington's six wards tonight between dusk and midnight to find out which ward is the noisiest, has the best displays, and is the most prolific with their fireworks.  Early tomorrow morning, I will share those observations in this forum and encourage anybody else who has an opinion or who had also toured the city in like manner to affirm my observations or tell me how wrong I am.  It's a free country still.

My methodology will be to start in the 6th Ward, work my way through the 4th, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, and 5th, in that order in a wide route, and then repeat that circuit in a more centralized route.  I will be listening and looking closely at the horizon and taking complete notes so as to make my final analysis as objective as possible.  An award or two may be given out.

Enjoy your holiday and don't forget to try and earn some respect for your ward tonight by celebrating the holiday with fireworks! 

[XLFD]

I will try to make this survey as objective as possible.  I plan on using a point system for fireworks:

2:  Loud or multiple firecrackers, simple bottle rockets, roman candles, kids w/sparklers

4:  Multiple loud firecrackers, simple aerial display consumer fireworks, multiple ground display candles w/report

6:  Aerial display consumer firework on par with City's usual fare, multiple report bottle rockets, firecracker type explosions that shake the ground.

They are done in even numbers so that I can divide them in half (if need be) for fireworks occurring on the border of two wards.  

[Willy]

Don’t forget points for the drunks who give themselves and others 3rd degree burns or the druggie who shoots a rocket up his ass. All kidding aside I love fireworks but I can’t believe people are willing to give up their freedoms especially on the day we should be celebrating them. I saw to many robots walking downtown with masks. 

[XLFD]

Heard some sirens when I was in 1st & 2nd Ward tonight, but didn't see anybody running around on fire.  

My findings, using the objectives I listed above and patrolling the same amount of territory on each, showed that the even numbered wards appear to be most patriotic-- or at least have more discretionary income to afford some major bangs & lights.  Best shows occurred in 2nd Ward and on the line between 4th & 6th wards.  These wards all scored the highest:

4th Ward:  253

6th Ward:  231

2nd Ward:  208

5th Ward:  182

3rd Ward:  180

1st Ward:  114

Congratulations to the Fourth Ward, I have to add that it was the only ward where I almost got overwhelmed by firework gases (on South Washington).