Readers: Fireworks Bans Should Apply to Adults & Minors

More than half the respondents in the recent non-scientific Sunday Poll support bans on adult use of fireworks. I agree, the last thing we need is inebriated adults playing with pyrotechnics.

Here are the poll results

Q: Agree or disagree: Municipalities/counties should not ban adults from using fireworks on the 4th of July.

• Strongly agree 5 [20.83%]
• Agree 3 [12.5%]
• Somewhat agree 0 [0%]
• Neither agree or disagree 3 [12.5%]
• Somewhat disagree 0 [0%]
• Disagree 4 [16.67%]
• Strongly disagree 9 [37.5%]
• Unsure/No Answer 0 [0%]

Really, a third sport lifting bans on adult use?

Some will ignore bans or go to parts of the region where they’re not banned, so here are some safety tips:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.
• Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don’t realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.
• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.
• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.
• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.

Not on the list — make sure your pets are safe, preferably indoors:

Like so many other things in life, fireworks are best left to the professionals.  The Belleville News-Democrat has a list of fireworks show in the metro East, the Post-Dispatch has a rundown on downtown/Arch fireworks shows (Also great from Malcolm Martin Park in Illinois) and Fox2 has a list of fireworks shows on both sides of the river.

— Steve Patterson

Entrance To Gateway Arch Should Have Faced Downtown From The Start

On Thursday morning last week I made my first visit to the Arch since the new downtown-facing entrance opened recently. Before we get into the nw entry I need to take you back to how it was for decades.

For so long it was just a big dirty hole, but slowly it began to take shape. Recently the entry was opened for visitors, but last week was my first visit to this entrance.

The lower level was open, though the museum wasn’t — it opens tomorrow. The lower level also has the gift shop, a new restaurant, a movie theater, etc. I decided to wait so my husband could help me get through security, help with bags, wallet, etc. I’m excited by the new entrance, it’s clear to me downtown has not capitalized on the millions who’ve visited over the last half century.

Local journalist/author Jm Merkel is out with a 2nd edition of his book The Making of an Icon: The Dreamers, the Schemers, and the Hard Hats Who Built the Gateway Arch.

With his fourth book from Reedy Press, The Making of an Icon, Jim Merkel captured the spirit behind the conception and construction of one of America’s most distinctive and beloved national monuments. More than two million visitors stand in awe at the Gateway Arch each year, and the stories behind it were unearthed in breathless detail in the first edition. Back with even more lore and the addition of beautiful color images, Merkel brings new information on the Arch grounds and museum to this updated and revised second edition. Now expanded, his book includes more stories compiled from interviews with the visionaries, finaglers, protesters, and intrepid workers who built the arch while one misstep away from a fatal fall. Merkel’s book will help us appreciate the relentless pursuit, innovation, and toil that raised the Arch to the sky. (Reedy Press)

As beautiful as the Arch is, I still think razing 40 city blocks was a huge blunder that we’re still suffering from today.

— Steve PattersonT

Sunday Poll: Should Fireworks Bans Apply Only To Minors, Not Adults?

As a kid I have vivid memories of 4th of July fireworks — with the only house on our block with a wood roof we had to make sure others’ bottle rockets and such didn’t set our house on fire. When I was a teen we reproofed with asphalt shingles so that concern dissipated.

Now fireworks seems to be a passive event, something you watch.

If you’re looking to set off a few fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend, your best bet for not breaking the law is on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River in St. Charles, Franklin and Jefferson counties.

Illinois bans the use of most consumer fireworks, including bottle rockets, firecrackers, Roman candles and pinwheels. In Missouri, the law is a little more lenient; any firework sold legally with the labels UN0336, 1.4G or novelty are OK to use.

However, counties and municipalities in both states might have further restrictions.

Consumer fireworks, which do not include sparklers and smoke bombs, are illegal in St. Louis and St. Louis County. (Post-Dispatch)

Today’s non-scientific poll is about fireworks, specially municipal/county bans on them.

This poll will automatically close at 8pm tonight,

— Steve Patterson