Show Sunday June 28 1987 Painting the night sky It's that time of year again — time tor fireworks ' 5 LOOKING BACK ByAJ Simmonds June means many things to many people — the rebirth of the land the end of school vacations But for young people in Cache Valley not too long ago June meant sugar beets — and hours of backbreaking labor country next weekend the zkiei will be filled with the loud colorful explosions that traditionally accompany the Fourth of July holiday It's a great way to celebrate — few d people are not awed by the sight of sparkling stars against a Mack sky There's something special about fireworks Whether they're viewed from a stadium or roof whether they're a giant show or a few fountains and sparklers set off in a driveway fireworks teem to have a universal appeal Though the Chinese generally are considered to have been the ones to invent fireworks credit also has been given to the Arabs Germans Greeks and English writes Martha Brenner in her book “Fireworks Tonight! ” All over the multi-colore- The Italians in the 15th and 18th centuries were Europeans to develop fireworks into an art form writes They were best known for ground shows whOe Europeans developed the aerial displays popular today Those centuries-ol- d fireworks shows though not as apparently could have held their own against colorful today’s putontoday But in reality the best fireworks show I ever saw was at Disneyland in the summer of 1878 The park was celebrating the nation's bicentennial with fireworks shows every evening That aerial display came the closest ot matching the fireworks of my imagination It seemed like all of Southern California must have been able to see that sky show In Utah we get a double dose of fireworks every July as some areas celebrste the Fourth of July others celebrate Pioneer Day on the 24th And whenever Americans have a celebration — especially a patriotic one — a fireworks show cant be too far behind Most if not sU the fireworks we see here sre manufactured locally — at Fireworks West located west of Logan The company makes the aerial displays as well ss putting on the shows in many locations Ralph Degn founder and owner of the company had been a banker and got an MBA from the University of Utsh Like most people Degn “always loved fireworks" But unlike most penile Degn translated that love into a successful fireworks-- anufs cturing business This is the busiest time of year at Fireworks West but reporter Carol MacPherson and photographer Jim Johnson were able to' visit the plant to see how they make the skies mechanisms used to paint the summer-nigThe manufacturing process involves both science and art and seems relatively simple — especially considering the spectaculsr end results Thousands will enjoy the colorful sparkling extravaganzas produced by fireworks West this year And while few of us will stop to think about where the fireworks came from we will unconsciously show our appreciation to those who have worked so hard Because no fireworks show is complete without gssps “oohs" and “ahk” from the audience m ht fjr i 1 VJ ? f h) ' li V 1 vf Ml — ' 1 9 t i i three-mont- Brenner northern Declaration of Independence the 1884 Olympics and the 100th birthday of the Statue of Liberty Even on television the shows were spectacular The earliest fireworks shows I remember were Fourth of July celebrations I used to spend summers with my grandparents in Anchorage Ky outside of Louisville Every Fourth of July we'd gather blankets and snacks and head to the Owl Creek Country Club The fireworks show was held on the first hole of the golf course with the spectators sitting on the first tee Distorted by time and by a child’s awe those shows seemed to last forever snd were much more spectacular than anything i ByPatBOton Shaun Cassidy rose to fame in the late 70s as TV teen detective Joe Hardy and as a singer He recently signed for h a part on TV's “Genral Hospital” But the performer has not been idle He's become a family man and has been on the stage honing his acting skills the first spectacular extravaganzas Brenner describes a three-da- y party of banquets ballets drama and fireworks called “The Pleasures of the Enchanted Isle" On the final night of the party hosted by Frsnce’s King Louis XIV the guests were treated to a fireworks show that included three fighting sea monsters and a “Palace of Enchantments" In this country in recent years fireworks have been an integral part of celebrations honoring the bicentennial of the y a HOLLYWOOD Pat MeCutdieorr Cache editor I BOOK REVIEW By Allen W Stoket Aldo Leopold hss long been held in high esteem by disciples ot the environmental movement His “Sand County Almanac" a collection of essays on humans' relationship with the land has become the environmentalists’ bible “Aldo Leopold — The Man and His Legacy" is a series of essays about the impact Leopold has had upon how we view our treatment of the land MINI PAGES By Betty Debnam Three pages especially for young readers 11 FIREWORKS WEST By Carol MacPherson Summer holidays mean eampouts picnics vacations — and fireworks in the night skies Cache Valley has its own fireworks manufacturer a company that provides exploding light shows all over the country 14 Id TV LISTINGS Our weekly guide to what's what on the tube ON' THE COVER: Ralph Oepn ‘founder and owner of Fireworks West Photo by Jim Johnson |