I should probably plead the Fifth but I am sure that the statute of limitations has run out many years ago. Forty plus years ago we got our hands on 4 commercial fireworks (the type used for Canadaicon Day and the Fourth of July).

Armed with the sage advice that they were shot from a 4" sheet metal barrel we grabbed a chunk of dryer pipe and headed off to the bush behind our sub division late one night and dug it into the ground. Dropped one down the pipe, lite the fuse and ran. The propellant charge blew the pipe wide open and we had one of the big loud bangers go off on the ground. Every house in the neighbourhood had the lights go on and a few minutes later the Fire Department showed up. They took their axes to the doors of the Junior High because they thought that one of the boilers had exploded.

We high tailed it out of there only to return another night. Having scrounged a chunk of Sch 40 pipe I welded a base plate and a rebar spike to it and returned the next week with my cronies. The first shot off was a starburst, high in the sky and a perfect success. Next one was what I guess you would call a Chrysanthemum and there was a stirring in the neighbourhood, with one to go we hurried to get the last one off before the police showed up. Dropped it down the pipe lite the fuse and waited, there was a little thump and that was it. Figuring that it was a dud we decided to get the barrel out and get home before we got in to too much trouble.

As we were pulling the spike out of the ground I looked over and saw a orange glowing cylinder on the ground. I yelled get the F@ck out of here, and we all high tailed it out. Damn thing went off like the first.

The big difference between then and now was that back then we had experience with stuff like that, nowadays not so much.

Not saying that we were the sharpest tool in the shed back then, but we weren't distracted by Facebook and our pants were hitched up high enough we could run.