Black Cats and cherry bombs!

Monday we will celebrate our nation's 240th birthday, but I will not be setting off any fireworks like those from my childhood. Oh, to be back just one more time in the era of Black Cat firecrackers and cherry bombs.

Many things have changed in our country's culture over the years, but the joy of fireworks has remained a constant from generation to generation. Americans of every race, political leaning, and economic standing, collectively celebrate this annual event, with sentiments that some would describe as, "great fervor!"

This 240th birthday caught me a bit off guard. I fondly recalled our 200th birthday back in 1976. I was 27 years old at the time, and I remember thinking how far in the distance a 250th celebration appeared to be. Now that milestone is but 10 short years in our future, there is no guarantee, that at my age, I'll even be around to participate.

If I am blessed to witness that Fourth of July, I hope that kids will still enjoy their fireworks as much as I did in my younger days. There are a lot of rules and regulations today that we did not have to comply with during my childhood.

There was no ban on firecrackers within the city limits back then. We scrimped and saved our money, looking forward to the time when we could buy our pyrotechnic collections.

Each year as we grew a bit older, our selections changed. When I was really young, our parents and grandparents watched as we enjoyed the simple Fourth of July offerings such as sparklers, snakes, and cracker balls. I can still remember being a bit fearful of the shooting sparks spraying from the sparklers. I was afraid they might burn my hands and arms.

I wonder if they still have snakes and cracker balls. The snakes were quite amazing to a small kid. When you used your "punk" or a match to light one of these little black pellets, it would quickly spiral into a wiggly snake like form. I never figured out that chemical process, and it remains a magical mystery still today. We joyfully threw cracker balls at just about anything we fancied. As a kid it just didn't seem to ever become tiresome.

One fireworks item made us a bit mischievous. We bought these devices that had a small firecracker contraption, with strings extending from each end. When the strings were pulled apart, it caused the firecracker to explode. We loved tying these to doors, drawers, or anything that would surprise someone, when they pulled them open.

At vacation Bible school, my best friend Randy Emery and I got a disciplinary spanking when we tied several of these to the car of one of our teachers. Contritely, I must report, that we considered that just a part of the fun. We gladly accepted the spanking, as akin to the cost of doing business!

Black Cat firecrackers were the single most popular fireworks of that era. A package of Black Cats contained several hundred, tied together by their wick strings. You were not supposed to light them in your hand, but we blissfully ignored that admonition, and threw them repeatedly. Sometimes we would leave a few hooked together, and watch as they exploded in a staccato like repetition.

Cherry bombs and M-80s were our favorite teen purchases. These were very loud, powerful, and even then were not supposed to be legally purchased. We managed to buy them anyway, and somehow we survived without losing any extremities or eyes.

Delinquent practices were common for us with these explosives. One of our favorite practices was to find discarded cigarettes, which when stuck on the end of the fuse, acted like a delayed timer. We would ride our bikes around town, place a cherry bomb and lit cigarette outside of a friend's window in their yard. After we frantically peddled our bikes several blocks, we would await the eventual deafening "BOOM!" We had a very high opinion of ourselves, I can assure you.

Roman candles were another fireworks device that you were not supposed to operate while holding them. We totally disregarded that warning. That practice got us into trouble one time.

Randy's dad had this antique "Nash Rambler." The color was between burnt orange and bright red. We were with a group of our friends down by Radio Springs Park one night. At some point it was decided we should have a Roman candle fight.

We were using our candles like paint ball guns of today. We would shoot them at each other, and duck behind cover when a projectile was headed our way. During this fight, someone's candle fired a stray that landed right on the hood of the Rambler!

I can still remember the looks on all our faces. The paint had bubbled up on the hood, and we just knew we were headed for a lot more than the simple spankings of our youth. That's been more than 50 years ago, but the memory is still fresh.

No country on earth celebrates its birthdays like America. It's a time for families to gather. Barbecue, corn on the cob, ripe tomatoes, homemade ice cream, southern style sweet tea, and fireworks. Those represent America a lot more than the old "apple pie" quote.

Thirty-eight years after the Declaration of Independence, Fort McHenry survived a British attack in 1814. Francis Scott Key wrote the words to our National Anthem, based on that event.

Are there any other words for Americans that mean more ... "And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."

It is a fitting and honorable American practice, to celebrate our country and our freedom with fireworks and joyous partying. It is a legacy that we should never loose. No law should ever prevent fireworks, because we are the land of the free and the home of the brave!