Yep...same in my area...a "no fireworks" area.
Forth(and 3rd and 5th) of July was an eye opening barrage of massive explosions and 5 hours a night of visual displays/rockets.
I happened to be walking near a park and someone set off an explosion so massive it hurt my ears and threatened to break windows a block away !
I later read there are "fire crackers" equivalent to a quarter stick of dynamite available.
The air quality was significantly degraded to the point I skipped my usual bike exercise for 4 days...and I ran cross country in LA "triple smog alerts". So I'm not all that sensitive to this.
Overall, I was in awe at how much money was burned up for 4th of July...surely it was well over $100K ! Maybe even $500K ?
New Years was fairly subdued in comparison.
I am taking this as a regional economic indicator, though we were in a heavy fog weather pattern at the time.
There were two VERY UNUSUAL cherry bomb blasts outside my window by a parking lot with a Sheriff police car parked there.
First, this area is mostly senior citizens, with almost zero teenage kids, and the parking area is a dead end : fireworks rascals usually want a fast escape route in case some crazy person comes out with a <fill in the blank>.
I was tempted but then I remembered my age and our legal system.
I just turned on the stereo and practiced.
But for animals, New Year's and the 4th of July is a total nightmare usually.
They can hear so much better and it REALLY stresses them out...dogs, cats, horses, rabbits.
Surprisingly, last 4th of July's massive barrage of flashing lights and explosions even took place in a red flag fire condition !
Bone dry and hot. Stupid to the max in my opinion.
I put uncontrolled and/or individual fireworks in the same box as fireplaces.
A useful, fun idea when the population was 1/10th the size, but now an unhealthy/unwise activity in large populations.
But as massive and outrageous as the last 4th of July was, it still doesn't top the time I lived in Gardena, California during the 4th, and heard the unmistakable sound of a fully automatic machine gun firing(AK47?) ! Plus a couple of handguns scattered here and there, and 3 bursts of machine gun firing...maybe 50 bullets in the skies ?
That's Real bullets ! In Real gangland(at the time). I learned to stay inside after that.
But around here, the cops don't really do anything about fireworks(law or not. I had to go back and re-read it just to make sure...and clearly, this area is a "no fireworks" area ! Just not in 2023 apparently) and it's dang lucky the place didn't go up in flames in July.
As for Hawaii...I guess all those fireworks suggests Hawaii citizens are in pretty good financial shape.
Washingtonians, from this pretty subdued fireworks season, might be having second doubts.
Or maybe they cleaned out the fireworks factories from the 4th.
I could believe that. The last 4th was unbelievable !
