All eyes to the sky

Jay Smith, a local fireworks dealer and the producer of Groesbeck's July 4th display, says mortars and artillery shells are the most popular fireworks at his two stands. Groesbeck's July 4 fireworks show will start at about 9 p.m. at City Park. Journal photo/David Stone For Groesbeck's Jay Smith, "show-time" is just over a week away.

Smith and his wife, Jean, are producing the city's Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza for the seventh consecutive year, and he said those attending this year's show will be treated to a "fantastically beautiful" display.

"This year's show will be about 25 minutes long," he said last week from his fireworks warehouse at his home near Groesbeck High, "and it's all set to music. Most fireworks shows are 10 to 15 minutes long, but I like a slower paced show. That way you can see the fireworks go off individually instead of all at once in a big blur. We have a finale for that."

Smith said half the fun of producing a fireworks show is picking the music that will accompany the pyrotechnics display.

"We try to match the music to the fireworks," he said. "During a slow-paced song, you want the fireworks to explode at a slower rate."

This year's exhibit will feature many patriotic songs, plus a few crowd favorites, he said.

Smith said safety always is a priority at his displays.

"The Groesbeck fire department will be on hand, and we make sure the launch site is at least 200 feet from the crowd," he said. "I use metal stakes to secure the mortars to make sure they stay in place when they fire."

Smith said he started producing the Groesbeck fireworks shows after providing members of Church on the Rock with a small exhibition on the Fourth. Those exhibitions grew and were eventually were expanded.

The Groesbeck fireworks show begins at about 9 p.m. on July 4 at City Park.

In addition to producing the Groesbeck show, Smith also provides fireworks for displays in Kosse and around Lake Limestone.

"Kosse always has a good show," he said, "and there are about a dozen smaller shows at the lake. A lot of folks go out on their boats and watch those."

Smith is a licensed pyrotechnician, which means he is licensed by the state to produce and operate fireworks shows.

"These licenses are not easy to get," he said. "The state wants to make sure fireworks shows are safely operated."

To operate a fireworks show that uses professional-grade fireworks, a person must serve as an apprentice during five shows, then pass a test. To buy professional-grade fireworks, a permit has to be acquired from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Smith said improvements to consumer-grade fireworks is making it unnecessary for fireworks producers to purchase professional-grade explosives for shows.

"Fireworks really haven't change much since the Chinese invented them hundreds of years ago," he said. "They've just gotten bigger and more powerful. In just the last few years, consumer-grade fireworks have improved by enormous leaps in power, and that's changed the quality of fireworks available at roadside stands."

"It's not about Roman candles, firecrackers and sparklers any more," he said. "It's about artillery shells that load into a mortar. There's a lot more power."

Smith said artillery shells are probably the biggest sellers at the two roadside stands he operates in the Groesbeck area, but multi-shot cakes are popular, too.

Basically, a multi-shot cake is a cluster of mortars with prepacked artillery shells that are fired by lighting a single fuse, he said.

Smith operates fireworks stands on FM 937 by the Lake Limestone Store and on North Highway 14 near Church on the Rock.

"We pride ourselves on the quality and variety of fireworks we sell," he said. "We shop around and get the best fireworks from the best manufacturers."