REPORT THREE: PYRO 2000'S LARK IN THE PARK, GREENHEAD PARK HUDDERSFIELD

Not as big and enthusiastic this one sorry folks.

I managed to get behind the scenes at a display for an event in Greenhead park and being fired by Pyro 2000 is was naturally excited.

The display was very heavy on candles, 24 blockbusters plus some Chinese ones that I can't for the life in me remember the name of along with candle bundles by Maverick and a selection of big display cakes.

This is the first time I have got behind the scenes at an electronically fired display. The guy in charge kindly showed me the firing list and explained how it was all done and let me have a good look at the firing box. note the wooden frames in the back of the van for lance work.

Just to let other mere mortals get an idea of the mess of wires pros have to contend with I took this shot:

Well time came for me to get back to my mates and wait for the show to start, except the rain started first which was no bad thing really as they started the show early. Up first were a bundle of mines to start with the obligatory noise to get everyone's interest and the first of the candle bundles fired in to life. And here is the problem really the whole show was a set of candles (generally with red and green stars) followed by a cake etc the problem being the heavy use of green and red slow rate of firing and sparse use of decent effects. Except for two cakes the first fired a large silver spinner followed by two then by three and so on until there was a massive column of silver reaching very high in to the air and made the biggest of fountains look very puny indeed. The second of the decent ones fired a lone red star that split in to four red stars, then fired two red stars that both split into four and this went on until eight were fired at a time this looked really cool, except for the fact that they fired a green version of this later in the display. After firing more red and blue break candles.

The display was finished off with two 4" and one 5" shell and the whole of the crowd cheered in appreciation after enjoying what they thought was a great display. I'm sorry but I walked off very bored and disappointed at the apparent lack of innovation and spending on a display that was for thousands of people.