[SnowPrincess]

I live in Manistee and we've always dealt with vacationers bringing up illegal fireworks around the 4th but this year since the law change it seems so much more obnoxious. Anyone else in Michigan notice an increase in firework usage?

Some moron was shooting off morters(?) the ones that explode in the sky at 4:30 PM yesterday. Why?

I don't want to turn this into a debate about how it will bring tax income into the state because it will. Just curious if anyone has noticed an increase their usage.

[Luzette]

The town I'm only a few miles from has had people shooting off various explosives for about a week now. Mind you this is about three miles away, and I can clearly hear it at my house. I have a relative who lives in Manistee. She told me someone was shooting off something on her street a few days ago. This stuff is dangerous to people's hearing. I'm always glad when the fourth is over with. Someone somewhere will lose and arm or an eye from this stuff too. It happens every year.

[Coldjensens]

No. Actually, we seem to have less of them so far. Normally we would be hearing them regularly by now, and we have onl a few. However Wednesday is the big night of course. Because there are a lot of people with extra money, we usually end up with private displays competing withthe official one. However, so far this year, less than normal.

You might be surprised to discover how few injuries and fires there really are that are caused by fireworks. If you take out idiots trying to make their own kinds of explosions, some years there are none.

[zthatzmanz28]

Though the noise is annoying and my poor Plott Hound is terrified, I find the "celebration" refreshing. I am glad the law has finally been enlightened. I did notice quite a few rockets in the middle lane of Grand River this morning. I would hope there is some supervision around as the pyrotechnics are being ignited.

[SnowPrincess]

My daughter just got a dog (shelter dog so she's jumpy anyway) I'm a little afraid of how she's going to handle the noise on the 4th since we are blocks from the launching point. My gripe is it's all hours of the day and night, really 2:30 am you know better people. And it's been going on for at least 2 weeks or more and will go on for 2 or more weeks. I guess the tourists don't stop to consider that the locals have jobs they have to get up in the morning for. This year it just really appears to be more and they seem louder. I also worry about fire danger with more of the fireworks that actually go up into the air.

[Luzette]

Even in the daytime there will be someone who needs sleep because they work a nightshift somewhere. It's just rude to do this to people weeks at a time at all hours. It's called the 4th of July to be celebrated on the 4th and should not extend into a month long excuse to blast people out of their beds.

[SnowPrincess]

I agree with that Luzette. As a matter of fact I was just speaking to a neighbor outside a bit ago and someone one street over set off a bunch and the poor dog was outside and she was wimpering and it irritates my chickens who start clucking up a storm. (ever hear ticked off chickens?lol) Of course it sounded like a gunshot and the neighbor and I flinched. Ugh.

[Luzette]

The poor animals have no idea what this is about. When this first started on my aunt's street she wasn't expecting firecrackers so soon. It's usually pretty quiet in her area until the day of the fourth, but now I guess that's changed. She thought someone was outside her house shooting a gun.

[fallingwater]

My relatives in MI have been constantly complaining about it. Where they live, yes a huge increase.

[Perferator]

No more than usual. It's about stinkin' time someone signed the bill to lift the ban on fireworks in this state. Good grief, we have had to go all the way up to Brimley and visit the Indian reservation....and they arent cheap.

Beware of individual municipalities ordinances, however.