THE MOST INCREDIBLE FIREWORKS SHOW ON THE PLANET
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http://wwwmoapapaiutes.com/ (http://www.moapapaiutes.com/)
Tristan and I have long been fans of fireworks, but most fireworks displays have been disappointing to us. This has especially been true of the fireworks displays associated with the 4th of July. Both of us had built up our anticipation of these days so much and had been so let down that we had started to banish the 4th off to the land of Misfit Holidays along with Valentine's Day and President's Day.
At the end of another lack-luster 4th in 2011, Tristan and I decided to drive up to the Moapa Piute Travel Plaza on the recommendation of Birthday Boy Steve Mikrut. We left Las Vegas around 10:15 PM and got to Exit 75 (about 30 miles north of Las Vegas) around 10:45. When we came over the hill on I-15, I realized that we were in for even more than we had expected.
Because the Piute Travel Plaza is on an Indian Reservation, they can sell the "illegal" fireworks. They aren't illegal, they just are not legal to sell off of the reservation. I don't know the status of buying them and taking them away, but this story is about buying them and launching them right away.
Yes, I said "launching them right away" because that's what EVERYONE does, and I'm talking a couple hundred people there throughout the night. HERE'S THE PICTURE: Fans of NASCAR know they can drive 30 minutes north of North Las Vegas, buy highly explosive and FREAKING COOL fireworks that are ILLEGAL, and then walk outside and launch them right there AND THE COPS WON'T DO A SINGLE THING ABOUT IT! Imagine what happens when you get about 100 of these NASCAR fans doing the same thing at the same time! INSANITY! ( CLICK HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPy9WWDVipo) for a mild video. See below for more video of the displays as well as of the firework store itself.)
http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/d/2/7/event_39619751.jpegNow, for those that are safety minded, you can get an awesome view from right off I-15. Parking all around is ample and you can get a perfect view from any angle you want. But for those of us who want to go right into the War Zone, there's nothing stopping you from driving right up to and parking between several of the biggest Fireworktards in the world... literally. And that is just what Tristan and I did in 2011, and we learned our lesson: STAY AT LEAST 100 YARDS FROM ANY FIREWORKTARD CAMP. You don't need to make friends with them, you just wanna watch them blow stuff up!
But in 2012, along with the coming of the end of the Mayan calendar we have the Las Vegan 4th of July, and Tristan and I are preparing our camp. This year we're going to circle the wagons, very literally, with several of our friends and we're going to watch and participate in a pyromaniac's Nirvanic wet-dream of a lifetime.
http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/f/5/7/event_39620311.jpegWe plan on bringing several cars and parking them in a circle to deter any errant launches from other camps. (While this step might be a little beyond the norm for the regulars, I don't typically watch NASCAR myself and I feel this gives me a slight advantage in the saftey-consciousness area.) We're also bringing CLEAR SAFETY GOGGLES and HOT SHOT EXTENSION LIGHTERS. We also recommend TENNIS SHOES over sandals and PANTS over shorts.
Remember, you can go to this event and park anywhere that you feel comfortable and you'll be able to watch the most amazing fireworks display that you've ever seen. But there are those of us who are willing to take a calculated risk, along with taking some safety measures, who want to be right in the heart of the battle zone. We need to remember that this IS a dangerous event surrounded by less than educated individuals launching highly, highly explosive devices. There IS a chance one or more of us could get hurt, so this isn't entirely the safest thing you can do. That said, neither is driving in the rain in Vegas nor trusting your life to a US Commander in Chief, so why not live a little?
HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST?
http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/5/3/7/b/event_39621371.jpegHere's the cool part. If you can get yourself to the location, this amazing event is basically FREE. If you want to launch fireworks yourself, then you probably wanna buy some, but there are thousands and thousands being launched, you won't need to do it except to express the little pyro deep down inside of you.
If you haven't participated in a fireworks event this big and are planning on launching a few yourself, we do have a few recommendations. First of all, most fireworks stores, Moapa included, sell ALL of their fireworks at 2-for-the-price-of-1, sometimes 3- and 4- for 1. (The big stuff is pretty much 2-for-1.) So realize when you buy a package with 12 rounds, you're going to end up with a second package to make a total of 24. If you go for the 48 or 120 packages, you could be there all night, and many people are. (And we'd love to be right there with you!)
Unless you have small kids that want to be able to set off a few fireworks themselves, avoid everything but the MORTAR FIREWORKS. Forget the Roman Candles (Fireworktard Sidearms), the Bottle Rockets (Fireworktard RPGs), and anything that has a stick that launches with the firwork iteslf. Tristan and I were fortunate to pick up the Super Magnum with Tail. At $45 for TWO 12-packs, they're just under $2/shell. They do sell the Super Magnum without a Tail for $5 less, but it was a heck of a lot of fun being able to see it launch as well as seeing others in the area launching the same kind. Both of us were extremely happy with how big of a display these things make... they are not your parent's fireworks, that's for sure.
THE GAME PLAN
The event goes all night long. I assume they start launching around dark, but I also assume there are some Fireworktards that'll start launcing in daylight just for the sake of lighting stuff on fire and blowing things up. We cannot tell you how the Strip firework experience pales in comparison to Moapa (or anywhere else other than an Indian Reservation, for that matter). So Tristan and I are going to get to Moapa just before 8 PM. We will meet outside the Main Entrance for the Firework Store at 8 PM. There's no reason for us to have to wait in any line because if there is a one, the people at the front of it will walk outside the door and launch them right away. We can wait and watch them until the line goes down and then cruise through the shop at our leisure.
We will look for stragglers once we exit the store and then we'll caravan our cars to a location away from any cluster of Fireworktards and where we can circle them to provide a ring of protection. Depending on how many show up, we may break up into groups, some deep inside the battle, some more on the outskirts.
If you arrive after 8 PM, call me at 702-292-4365 to try to locate us. We will return to the Main Entrance of the Fireworks Store at 11 pm to pick-up anyone that stayed in Vegas for the Strip fireworks show. Tristan and I ARRIVED at 10:45 PM and it was REALLY GOING HOT AND HEAVY UNTIL WELL PAST MIDNIGHT! We stayed until 1:30 AM in 2011, and there were still a few die-hard clusters still going. I suspect he and I will stay that late in 2012, as well, so definitely join us, even if you watch the firworks on the Strip.
Again, we can't tell you what a dream this is for any Firework Fanatic. Yes, it's a very dangerous event, especially if you choose to go into the belly of the beast. But those that are drawn to fireworks and to events like this understand the risks that go along with the adrenaline and we all make our choices in life. We hope that you take the precuations we've highlighted and that you join us for the most incredible, and I mean phenomenally over-the-top, beyond-your-wildest-dreams fireworks event imaginable. Check out the videos below and we'll see you there!
Sean and Tristan
Firework Examples from Moapa Travel Plaza
Video 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPy9WWDVipo) (Example from above)
Video 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSNUbky4NaQ&feature=related)
Video 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JREFXVqPSlU)
Moapa Travel Plaza Fireworks Store
Video 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsgeqLN5i_Q&feature=related)
Video 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEnDOLP1ndc&feature=related)
Video 3
Possibly not Moapa but Silly and possible at Moapa