Photos by JANA SUMMERS A fireworks display lights up the
sky at an early Fourth of July celebration at Santa Monica
Community College on June 30.
By Michaele Turnage
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
In the cool of twilight on Independence Day 1967, Julian Jimenez
eagerly awaited nightfall at Los Angeles City Park near his
childhood home, anticipating the evening’s fireworks
show.
Like many other Americans, watching the red, white and blue
flames illuminating the sky had become an annual tradition for
Jimenez, but it would also become much more.
“I loved this so much I said to myself, “˜I’ve
gotta get my license so I can do my own fireworks
show,'” he said.
Since making that pledge, Jimenez has wowed the audience with
shows at the Rose Bowl, Magic Mountain and the 1996 Olympics in
Atlanta.
“The best feeling is that of the cheers of the crowd
““ the satisfaction,” Jimenez said.
He also said it’s fulfilling “to have a flawless
performance ““ to have it work without any kind of
interruption or failure.”
While many venture out to appreciate the bursts of color, few
realize that fireworks shows start long before the scheduled
occasion. The Fourth of July fireworks show put on by Pyrotechnic
Spectaculars at the Queen Mary in Long Beach starts five or six
months prior to the date, Jimenez said.
After hiring tugboats to pull a barge ““ from which the
fireworks will be launched ““ into the Harbor at least 1,000
feet away from the stern of the Queen Mary, choreographers put the
fireworks to music and other employees gather materials for the
show, he explained.
Fifteen people begin setting up the barge four days in advance,
Jimenez said. On the night of the performance, a team of licensed
pyrotechnic operators will detonate more than 1,000 shells.
 Photos by JANA SUMMERS A woman holds a baby and looks up
in awe as multicolored streams of fire ascend 500 feet into the
air. The shells are ignited through an electric match, which
simultaneously lights both the lifting charge, which thrusts the
shell into the air at a rate of 100 feet per second and the timing
fuse, which burns for about five seconds before detonating the rest
of the pyrotechnic material. This causes the explosion of color and
noise that fireworks are known for.
Jimenez, who has launched fireworks for 32 years, said the
experience is exhilarating.
“It’s like being on a stage in a major theater.
There’s a big crowd, elbow to elbow, 10- to 15-feet deep.
When the show is over, they are whooping and hollering and having a
great time,” he said.
The fireworks show at the Queen Mary attracts half a million
people each year, Jimenez said.
In addition to professional fireworks shows, many Fourth of July
celebrants set off their own fireworks. Though consumer fireworks
have been banned in many California communities, they can be
legally sold in 229 cities, counties and fire districts between
noon on June 28 and noon on July 6.
But in Westwood and many neighboring communities, all fireworks
are illegal.
“We don’t have problems on July 4 on the campus
area,” said Nancy Greenstein, director of community services
for university police. “Officers will be out discouraging
people from using firecrackers as they are illegal and
dangerous.”
Mere possession of illegal fireworks, such as M-80s,
bottlerockets and firecrackers can lead to three years of informal
probation and five days in jail.
Robert Coover, 19, said he opposes such laws, adding that he has
enjoyed personal fireworks shows hosted by multiple families at
block parties throughout his life.
“The louder, the better,” he said. Coover recommends
the “3-inch titanium salute,” which he said is so loud
that once it explodes, car alarms up to 2 miles away will go
off.
Along with fireworks, many people will host barbecues for family
and friends.
Fourth-year Chicana/o studies student Steven Cortez has
developed a fine-tuned method for cooking the tastiest meal.
“I get the best meat from East Los Angeles. There’s
a couple (meat markets) in particular that prepare the meat by
putting a variety of spices ““ orange juice, lemon, a little
bit of salt, different herbs ““ the trick is letting it
saturate and letting it absorb overnight,” he said.
After cooking the meat to his preferred medium-rare finish,
Cortez sprinkles it lightly with either Bohemia or Budweiser
beer.
“We sprinkle beer on it to give it that flavor and smell.
It accentuates the flavor,” Cortez added.
Though many enjoy Independence Day festivities, they often do
not know the history behind the holiday.
In 1776, when the U.S. still consisted only of 13 rebellious
British colonies, Richard Henry Lee proposed a resolution to the
Continental Congress that the colonies be free and independent
states. The resolution was passed on July 4.
Although Independence Day wasn’t declared an official
holiday until 1941, Americans have been celebrating freedom since
the initial festivities on July 8, 1776 when the Declaration of
Independence was read aloud to citizens in Philadelphia and city
bells rang out.
Fourth-year Latin American studies student Danielle Oliver said
she appreciates the fireworks, but she doesn’t celebrate the
Fourth of July.
 Spectators with lawn chairs and blankets set up camp on
the football field of Santa Monica Community College on June 30,
hoping to get a good view of the fireworks display. People enjoyed
food, music and good conversation as they waited for the show to
begin.
“I, as an African American woman coming out of a family
that was enslaved, did not receive my independence from the signing
of the Declaration of Independence,” she said. “That
day had nothing to do with us. It had to do with them stealing land
from Mexico and taking our profits.”
While the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that “all
men are created equal,” the Constitution said that African
Americans, Latinos and American Indians were not considered
“full persons.” Instead, they were subject to slave
trade, extermination and other atrocities at the hands of newly
liberated American citizens.
Oliver criticized educators who teach a version of history that
encourages African American, Latino and American Indian students to
unknowingly celebrate what many call a bittersweet holiday. Members
of these groups often tell a different story of the chain of events
that led to the building of the nation than the one taught in many
U.S. history classes.
Others have fond memories of Fourth of July celebrations. Cortez
remembers carne asada barbecues.
“Most of the time you can’t help but have at least
four children running around,” he said. “The kids are
playing hide-and-seek, the aroma is in the air, people are talking
and having a good time.”
FIREWORKS SHOWS NEAR UCLA All fireworks shows
take place on the 4th of July and last approximately 20 minutes.
SOURCE: Dept. of Beaches and Harbor, Queen Mary, Culver City
Unified School Original graphic by TIMOTHY NGO/Daily Bruin Senior
Staff Web adaptation by MIKE OUYANG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff