Back when I was a young kid growing up in sixties era Redwood City, the Fourth of July was a big deal because I loved fireworks.
As the day approached, I'd gaze at the colorful newspaper ads and brochures, and consider which of the different assortment packs my brothers and I would wheedle and plead our father into buying.
The fireworks sold from stands in parking lots back then all came from the Red Devil fireworks company.
A favorite was the Piccolo Pete, a thin cardboard tube with a portruding fuse and a little plastic stand that was placed upright on the ground. I'd light the fuse and then run back a few yards and a bright vertical geyser of sparks would erupt with a loud piercing whistling noise.
Another favorite was pinwheels, round cardboard discs with a little rocket on the outer edge. Our father would nail one to a telephone pole and light the fuse and the wheel would spin furiously, propelled by the sparks from the blazing rocket in a flaming circle.
Like many industries, the fireworks business has consolidated and Red Devil was acquired by TNT Fireworks in 1989. TNT has come a long way since it began in 1920 when Clyde Anderson started selling fireworks from his newsstand in Florence, Alabama.
My perspective on fireworks, though, has been altered over the years by being a land owner and a pet owner.
The booms, bangs and whisling shrieks are distressing to many pets, and the houses and acres ignited by celebratory revelers keep fire departments across the state busy for days and days.
This Fourth of July marks the 248th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and we at California Local wish you (and your pets!) a safe and sane holiday.
Fire Season is Mosquito Season is West Nile Season
More than an itch-inducing nuisance, the mosquito is the world's deadliest animal.
Mosquito season is already underway after a wet winter and spring, and testing has confirmed West Nile virus present in Sacramento, Yolo and San Joaquin Counties.
Learn more about West Nile and the efforts to control mosquito populations in the articles below.
• Summer Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival Opens
This year the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival is presents The Merry Wives of Windsor along with the musical Always…Patsy Cline through August 26.
(07/01/2024) → Edible Reno-Tahoe
• El Dorado County Prepares for Fire Season
Representatives from the El Dorado Sheriff's Office, Cal Fire, South Lake Tahoe Police and Fire, Lake Valley Fire, Fallen Leaf Lake Fire, CHP, USFS, and CERT met on June 29 to discuss evacuation planning and the county emergency alert system.
(07/01/2024) → South Tahoe Now
• Support for Olde Coloma Theatre Renovations Sought
The nonprofit Olde Coloma Theatre is asking the community for donations to fund the next phases of renovations for the theater building on Monument Road in Coloma.
(06/28/2024) → Mountain Democrat
• Annual Community Clean-Up in South Lake Tahoe a Success
An astonishing 229 tons of mattresses, furniture, appliances, electronics and other refuse was dropped off by residents and collected by volunteers during the annual "$5 dollar dump day" held on June 8 in South Lake Tahoe.
(06/27/2024) → South Tahoe Now
• Draft EIR for Generations at Green Valley Project Released
The El Dorado County Planning and Building Department-Planning Division has released a draft environmental impact report for the 280 acre senior housing development proposed to be built on Green Valley Road near El Dorado Hills.
(06/27/2024) → Village Life
• Placer County 2024-2025 Budget Approved
In their June 26 meeting, the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved the $1.2 billion 2024-2025 budget.
(06/27/2024) → YubaNet
• Law Not Violated in South Lake Tahoe Bear Shooting
Based on an investigation by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the El Dorado County District Attorney has declined to press charges in the shooting of a bear in a South Lake Tahoe residence on May 27.
(06/26/2024) → South Tahoe Now
• Funding Allocated for Lake Tahoe East Shore Trail Expansion
$24 million in federal funds have been granted to expand the popular trail.
(06/26/2024) → South Tahoe Now
• South Lake Tahoe Vacancy Tax Impact Report Disputed
In the June 16 meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council, the conclusions of the report commissioned by the city to explore the impact of the proposed vacancy tax were discussed, and disputed.
(06/25/2024) → South Tahoe Now