Retail Recommendation

Hey Everybody,

With fireworks season now in full swing, here are some items we recommend picking up at your local retailer:

1) RL225 Supernova Canister Shells
2) MS306 Great Expectation - 9 Shot
3) FN251 Pure Fantasy
4) SL100 Sky Lanterns
5) MS384 Rip Rap Rush - 88 Shot
6) MS202 Bling Bling - 36 Shot
7) RL218 Smart Bomb Ball Shells
8) GM468 Southern Comfort - 30 Shot
9) TB215 Khaotic Kaboom - 9 Shot
10) SM145 Green Glitter Saturn Missile Battery - 200 Shot

Video at www.76wholesale.com (Beta)

Last week I embedded a bunch of youtube videos on our website. Most of the items shooters would be interested in (500 gram cakes, multi-shot cakes, artillery sells, 9-shot racks, etc) are available. Unfortunately, we do not have much video from 2010, so a lot of '76 Pro Line items do not have video on our website or youtube. However, video of most of these items is available at the Pyro U gallery.

To see the video now on our website, visit www.76wholesale.com and choose a category on the left. Pick an item from the list and the video should appear at the bottom (you may need to scroll down) of the description pop-up.

I know the presentation is not ideal, but this is a temporary solution as we are planning on using a new website for 2011, and I don't trust my php skills enough to make major changes to our current website.

Shogun and Brothers Video

We added about 7 videos of samples we shot from Brothers and Shogun. The video isn't great, but the fireworks were amazing. We should have some great new products for the 2011 season.

Spirit of '76 YouTube channel

2011 Brothers Sneak Peek

Last week we shot off samples of Brothers' new products for 2011. It was great! I have been having trouble uploading the files, but here is one that I was able to post:

Sahara Twilight - 16 Shots Spirit of '76 wholesale fireworks

Download our Fireworks Catalog

Spirit of '76's 2010 Wholesale Fireworks Catalog is at the press. If you are a customer, or have filled out a catalog request form, you should receive your copy in 2-3 weeks. If you can't wait that long, download your copy here:

Spirit of '76 2010 Wholesale Fireworks Catalog.pdf - 22.9MB

Spirit of '76 2010 Wholesale Fireworks Catalog ZIP file - 16.8MB

2010 Fireworks Catalog

Spirit of '76 is just a couple of weeks away from releasing their 2010 catalog. This year's catalog features the entire product line for this Spring, including products from Brothers, Winda, Firehawk, Mighty Max, Shogun, Cannon, and '76 Pro Line. To get your copy, go to Spirit of '76 Wholesale Fireworks and fill out a catalog request, or log in to ensure that your address is up-to-date.

Above is a great picture of Jeff Cellucci's pyromusical shot at the Midway Fireworks Festival, photographed by Michael Richards of '76 Pyro Magazine. The shows have been unbelievable this weekend, with one more to go tonight. Everyone who comes out has been thoroughly impressed with the choreography Jeff put together, and by the power and beauty achieved with 1.4G consumer fireworks. Click here to learn more about the Midway Fireworks Festival.

Fireworks for Firefox

There is a neat add-on for the Firefox web browser called "Personas". I have installed it and used it to change the colors of my window. Last week, I took a few minutes to create a fireworks persona. I think it turned out pretty well for my first try. I hope to create one or two more this week.

Casual Demo

Last night we had a great casual demo. We fired off a lot of items that have just arrived from China. Everything shot well, and most of the items from last night will be featured at our main demo on May 9th. There are always a few items that stand out though, and last night they were:

GM264 Spicy Hot - 10 Shots
GM376 Reach for the Sky - 12 Shots
GM375 War Stopper - 12 Shots
GM383 '76 Select Series (4 unique 12-shot cakes)

We also shot the '76 Pro Line Flame Torch fountains. They are really bright!

Buy wholesale fireworks online at www.76fireworks.com

New Fireworks

Containers are arriving all the time, and each one brings us a few new items. Right now, we are excited about our new assortments from Brothers. MS363 Three Kings contains Attack, Home on the Range, and Scarecrow. These are all powerful 7-shots with extremely loud, big breaks. MS364 Amazing 8 takes our two best assortments, All-Star Action and Brothers Choice, and puts them all into one box. Get yours while you can.

2009 Fireworks Catalog

Our 2009 catalog is now available. With over 480 items, and the lovely '76 Bombshells, who wouldn't want a copy? You can get yours today by calling us at: 573-447-1776.

We also have a couple fireworks demos coming up: April 18th in Georgetown, SC and May 9th in Columbia, MO

Fireworks Demo

Despite the rain, last Saturday's demo went off without a hitch. Thanks to the Rissell's for hosting and doing a lot of the leg work to get the demo set up. The stars of the night were Ranger's Pride and Crazy Commander. Both of these shot great at our January demo as well and look to be the stars of 2009. Oh Say also performed magnificently, overshadowing the best of the 9-shot racks.

We are all extremely busy this week, wrapping up early order (ends Tuesday!) and getting ready for this weekend's demo. We just finalized the shootlist today. Click here to see our fireworks demo shootlist.

BIG HINT - buy Crazy Commander and Ranger's Pride while you can. We ordered a lot, but these items will sell out by May. Remember, up to 22% off and free shipping ($2k or more) if you buy by Tuesday March 10th.

Drought

I have not seen live fireworks since the NFA Expo (I missed the Pyro U shoot in St. Louis). That is almost two months with no pyro. I am really starting to miss it. I was just thinking the other night about my first summer of fireworks. I had three "WOW" moments that summer which still live in my mind.

The first was my first night of fireworks. Growing up in Iowa, seeing "the good stuff" was pretty rare. We went down to Missouri and picked up fireworks a couple times when I was a kid, but a cheap multi-shot was the best I ever saw. My first day at Spirit of '76 I got to see an impromptu fireworks show staring the Brothers' classic Major Combat. I had no idea so much firepower could be packed into one cake! It was an $800 fireworks show in a (at that time) $100 retail package. Amazing!

That summer, we shot off a lot of cakes at our tent. All of it was more than necessary as product research. The one that always stood out to me was Blue Blitz. It is the first 'Z' cake I remember seeing, with great blue and green colors. Now I prefer Wicked Cool and Combat Zone, but that cake was my favorite for two years.

The last thing I remember is the finale on July 4th. The staff gathered at the tent for a fireworks show that night, firing off single pieces between customers. The show stopper that night was a case of Yeah Baby Yeah spread out over 30 or 40 yards. Watching the cakes build from 1 shot, to 2 shots, up and up and up... it was an intense experience. The 28-shot finale was huge!

Shipping Woes

Due to shipper consolidation, the number of shipping lines transporting fireworks out of China is going down. MOL is no longer transporting from Shanghai to the West Coast. Beihai port was shut down for a while, but should be up and running again. These events might make it hard for 1.4G suppliers to be fully stocked for New Year's, but they should still be fully prepared for the Fourth of July. 1.3G is continuing to struggle with getting fireworks out of China and into the US. However, some big names have come together to form a group called Professional Pyrotechnic Standards Association, Inc. Hopefully this organization can improve the shipping situation for display companies here in the US.

NFA Expo

Sunday morning, the 76 crew returned to Columbia, MO. This year's Expo was amazing! Billings is a great city, small and easy to get around, with some great restaurants. The demos were at a great location, and the trade show location was terrific as well. The turn-out was fantastic, and everyone seemed to be getting a lot of business taken care of.

The expo was my first chance to catch a show by Aaron Mayfield in person. One of the best in the business, A.M. Pyrotechnics (http://www.ampyro.com) has a reputation for going above and beyond. Saturday night's show was no exception! It was a great way to end an astounding week of fireworks.

If you are a member of the NFA, thank the board members for putting together such a great conference. If you are not a member, you should be. You can join for as little as $30 and help support the fireworks industry. Click here to join the NFA. Next year's expo will be in WI, which should have an even better turn out than this year. I'm looking forward to it.

'76 Pyro Update

I have just uploaded the new version of www.76pyro.com to the server. The look of the website is a bit improved, and I have added a few things:

- translation options
- foreign subscription options
- more information on each issue
- faster load time for the video page

I hope to make even more changes to the site over the next few months. If you get a chance, check out the new site.

Shipping Frenzy

The Fourth of July is almost here! We are swamped with orders, and shipping out thousands of cases every day. If you want to make sure your fireworks are delivered by July 4th, order soon!

We also shot off more fireworks last night. We shot Our Country by Brothers for the first time this year. It is a really great set! I would recommend it to anyone putting on their own show this year.

April 9 Demo

We had another great weekday demo last Wednesday (twice postponed due to weather). It was one of our best demos to date! All of the products were unbelievable. Pyro Candy and frwrX were two of the best items shot. Every time I see frwrX it seems better than the last. We shot Showdown artillery shells for the first time, and they were truly impressive. They even outscored Tycoon, which was our best assortment last year. It is going to be a great year for fireworks!

First Demo

Hello All,

Last night, Spirit of '76 held its first weekday demo. We shot off about 35 items and had a great time. The highlights of the shoot were RL201 Titan triple-break shells (Brothers), GM205 New Dimension (Golden Bear), and TB201 Kick Ass Cajun (Golden Bear). After the shoot, Jeff set off his own fireworks. Two excellent cremora bombs, 24 Smoke N Mirror shells in an angled rack, and a few other things.

Spirit of '76 Fall Demo

Hey Everyone,

We held our fall fireworks demo on October 13th, and despite the rain during the day, the demo ended up going off great! We had the chance to shoot off a lot of 2008 products for our customers, and everyone had a great time. Here are the top ten as rated by our customers:

1) GM270* Triple Whammy - 15 Shots Brothers
2) GM291* Mythical Triangle - 21 Shots Cannon
3) GM294* Cyborg Duel - 25 Shots Cannon
4) GM286* Chest of the Pirates - 37 Shots Cannon
5) MS303* Hooray USA - 10 Shots Cannon
6) GM247 Quake - 9 Shots Brothers
7) MS116 Home on the Range - 7 Shots Brothers
8) MS202 Bling Bling - 36 Shots Brothers
9) GM269* Vengeful Texan - 22 Shots Brothers

All of the items with a "*" are going to be new for 2008. We should even have a few of these items in by New Year's. Check in at www.76fireworks.com to see our current inventory.