Made in Macau

...a cracker collector?? How are they shipped?...on the sly? (Potting plant fertilizer?)

Jabbergah                                                    

Yes and Yes....I also collect just the labels....There are some real rare packs of just 16 firecrackers, that originally sold for 1 penny, about 50-60 years ago that go for around $2,000 now....Oh....I forgot, I am also looking for a time machine.

One other thing....I am not the only one that does...If you have some free time sometime...checkout the following site: Pyrobilia

It is a site for collectors and interested people.

...crackers from 1994 have any collector value? I have a couple bricks of those....

Jabbergah                                                    

I am sure they have some value...but not sure what that would be.

Are you talking about the Super Big Pig Crackers from the 1994 PGI Convention in Amana, IA? I have 2 bricks of those. I saw one go for around $40.00 on an auction, but can't remember which one.

If they are the Super Big Pigs, where did you get them? Are you a PGI member?

Yes on PGI. Don't know if they're big. They were the ones that practically EVERY member got at that convention -- were they all big?

Jabbergah                                                    

The ones I have were the ones available at the 25th anniversary convention in New Castle, PA. They're probably not worth the match to lite'em!

Jabbergah                                                    

...in case anyone wonders what this PGI is that we're mentioning, it's like a really big fireworks club. Here is the website:

<<PGI Info>>

Jabbergah                                                    

That's great....Imagine bumping into somebody on here from PGI.

Have you been to one lately? Did you check out Pyrobilia?

I took the family to Gillete this year.

...site is pretty neat! Who's doing that?

Didn't make the the Gillette conv. last year. Was at Fargo the previous year & helped out on the Wed. CrackerJack show. John Sagairia put me on the finale, which actually turned out pretty good, thankfully!

Jabbergah                                                    

I am not sure exactly....but you could send a private message to pyroal on the pyrobilia site.

He seems to be involved also allred is the person I think that owns the site. You might PM him. I am sure one of them could tell you.

Did you check any of the picture galleries? Did you join the site? They had a real good site going for a long time and just got too overloaded and started over from the beginning in October with the software they are using now.

I am boone62 on that site also.

They are planning a swap meet in April I think, and believe it is going to be in Indiana, for pyro collectors and enthusiast.

Have a great day...gotta get back to work.

It was great finding the sites and exploring them. I used to work with my uncle Rex doing small dsiplays. I had no idea that people collected small packs and bricks. What a great collecting idea and hobby.

My interest started as a kid going to the fairgrounds on the 4th and seeing small shows by our Fire Company. The first big event was for the Alaska Statehood Show but it was just a blast -built on price alone.. Later I had the opportunity to be Arena Shows producer for
the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Moraine State Park
in Butler PA. This took me a year. I had a big fixed budget, but more important the state was concerned about the Fireworks wadding refuse that would be left in the park landscape. So I spent a week with the Zambelli Family in New Castle, PA. and we came up with a plan for a Giant show of flashy shells
and a bombastic syncopated recorded sound track.
I borrowed the Army's Giant speakers used in Vietnam for Psy-War from choppers = and had the Sound done by McCune Sound from Frisco. The whole show of 28 minutes was recorded and cued
on a 4 track tape.
The finale was a 40 ft set piece of the emblem of the Jamboree theme which I raised up 80 feet with a crane. I had a song written called "Growing Together" by Tom Tierney which was sung by the 20,000 scouts holding lighted candles as the emblem was ignited. The plan was for the
lighted emblem to grow as it burned up the outline of a Stalwart Tree - first the light green the youth being supported by the dark green
the Scout Leaders and then the Red Fleurdeleis.
But because we had 4 days of rain, elements got wet. and...
There was a Giant Cloud of smoke which rose up from the canyon floor like you were in the Middle of an Atomic Bomb Blast. The cloud lifted and left the entire piece blazing in full
burn for the last words of the song. Then I fired three Giant clusters of Red White and Bkue from Horizon to Horizon with a thunderous Stereo Salute from the back of the Forest. The M C was Danny Thomas and he was standing downstage which was "trembling & shaking" he was
holding the single candle with which he lit the show. He was " Sobbing" and I heard him say
Un----ing Believable"....... His last show for us.
It was my short bit of fame and I relive it in my dreams - often.
The Master tape had been made for me by Dick Ross of Disney and they use the effect everynight now at EPCOT in Orlando. It saves them money and tons of paper wadding cleanup, For shows every night .
I wanted to see the Kentucky Derby Festival
Opening by Zambelli in 2001 featuring 51,000
blasts in the night - it was called "Festival Odyssey " which I heard in my wheelchair in the nursing home on the phone.. It should have been called " Thunder Over Louisville as we try to Blow Up The Clark Street Bridge." as you said -
You just never know what you'll find on the "Forum"
mory

Mory! Is there anything you HAVEN'T done?!? You've got so many great stories, you oughta write a book!

Jabbergah                                                    

Thanks Jabbergah: would like to go to a convention if they come East again.
My brother and I used to compete. We had a contest to do 100 things WELL. He failed at a deep SCUBA Dive and I failed at Ballet. We Both failed at Sword swallowing and swallowing live thing ,, mory

...sites for the PGI conventions seem to be hard to come by! The last east location since I've been a member was in New Castle, PA in 1994. The nearest east in the next few years is Iowa (2005) I believe. Repeat sites are Fargo, ND & Gillete, WY.

If you go to www.pgi.org and click on convention, there is a link to click on to see past & future convention sites. 2010 is still open, maybe I'll try to find a suitable location in PA for then!

Jabbergah                                                    

Jabber, are you going to work the Civil War this year?

...since there's a conflict. My organization has a big fireworks display on July 3rd (3 day setup) and ALSO the Gettysburg pyro (tentatively - not sure we've been granted the contract yet). The Gettysburg gig is July 2, 3, & 4th. Here is the website: <Gettysburg>

I'll probably end up going to whichever needs the manpower the most. If I'm lucky, neither will need me, and I can just go to watch!

Jabbergah                                                    

Give me a shout when the 2004 schedule gets set. I read the pages - Really good. I'd like to go on the 2nd & 3rd can't on the 4th as have a benefit. Surprised they don't have
a ticket price for Seniors - they would get lots more publicity that way. Better yet-tie Seniors in with Disabled American Vets. Then they would get free coverage in both DAV & VFW magazines and probably then AAA. and the Airline magazines.
I did a book with James Johnson on George Carmack. We worked together in the Arctic a couple years. We tried to correct history -that Skookum Jim Mason along with Tagish Charlie
were the discoverers of Gold In the Yukon. Then came the Alaska Gold Rush.
Skookum Jim was a Native American of the Dakhl'wedi clan - he found a big nugget the size of a dime on Rabbit Creek in 1896 .for years
everyone said that George Carmack found the gold (because he is the one who filed the claim)Jim was his inlaw . Carmack had a commonlaw marriage to Kate & I wanted to tell the story through her. Al said , were not writing Famous Whore's of the Yukon." so I pulled back and did the pictures. See, I saw Robert Redford Playing Carmack and someone gutsy in the female lead -
Then we would have a book better than "Hawaii"
now the story is in paperback oblivian. mory

...Morgan Lael, co-author with James Albert Johnson of "Man of Mystery Who Set Off the Klondike Gold Rush"?

Jabbergah                                                    

No. Morgan wrote the Forward when the book went to second printing. They also changed the cover.
There is credit somewhere inside to me for Photo's and other help. Al and I went to the Yukon together to research it. There was a lot of claim jumping in the early days - the natives
couldn't read or write. So the credit went to
George Carmack.. But if nothing else we straightened that out by interviews of decendents in Canada..Jim Died in 1816 and Patsy in 33 the year before I was born Yeah I'm 72) The thing Carmack did to start the Gold Rush was rename Rabbit Creek to "Bonnanza Creek" and of course return to Seattle with a Bag of Nuggets.