Setting Up For The Capitol Fireworks - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Setting Up For The Capitol Fireworks

When people watch fireworks, they get to see a show of explosive colors shapes and head rattling bangs.

Jon Schaeffer met the men responsible for the patriotic display that will get underway tonight at the State Capitol.

Before the fireworks can go boom boom and bang. They're is a day's worth of prep work that goes into getting these balls of fire set and ready to go.

Art Bickford/ Fireworks Choreographer "we follow as they call a scriptto set up the racksaccordingly the shells in orderand we wire it all up to an electronic ignition.

" The average person can buy up to 3-inch shells-and the pros use that size too. But they also get much bigger than that.

" We have three inch shells 4, 5 6 and 8 inch is the largest we do." Art says that if they were to get any bigger they'd have to move the event to a larger location. The biggest shells they use look like a bowling ball and need special treatment.

"Every year we have to bring in the 55 gallon barrels out they are half full of sand with the mortar sticking out.

That's the big onesand we have 6 of them so you'll know when they go off."

Those only make up 6 of the 200 plus fireworks expected to fireoff, Art's favortites aren't shapes or colors, but it is one of the biggest the show will have. "We have an eight inch crackling payote it's really nice it just lights up the sky and trails and just looks fantastic, I love it.

" There is one thing even greater than the bang and sparkle as it hits the sky that keeps him coming back for each show. "At the end the honking the cheering the crowd it's the biggest rush you can stand there and just smile and know you've made so many people happy." 

This is Art's eleventh year putting together these shows.

He says this one will take about 10 hours to prep.