Starsky's Fireworks Bash
UKFR's first ever member meet up.
- Added on May 18, 2003
- Category: Pending
- Last updated: January 18, 2022
This feature is from the UKFR archives. Originally published in 2003, I have made this update mobile-friendly and tracked down the original Forum thread which is linked to below.
UKFR member Starsky made history when he became my first member to organise a “meet” through the forum, inviting like-minded pyromaniacs round to his place for an evening of firework fun. If you read the forum, you’ll know that an open invite quickly leads to a huge list of guests each bringing shed-loads of pyro gear.
Dorset 2003 may have been the mother-of-all amateur meets, but Starsky’s was the original, and with Adam on hand doing his usual impersonation of Guy Fawkes, this was an evening not to be missed.
In this feature I bring together the post-display reports from the forum, so all my readers can see how mad about fireworks we are. Plus, thanks to Andy Pearce supplying a tape of the evening and doing a top job of braving rain and disconcertingly loud bangs, I have loads of pictures to share too, and some fantastic video clips.
Video grabs
Video clips
[2022 update note: I am currently trying to track down the original tape so I can upload it to YouTube. Until then here are the original clips used in this write-up which are both impossibly small and compressed – such were limitations of server space and connection speed in 2003 – and in exotic formats which modern laptops, tablets and mobiles might struggle to play. They work, just about, for me using VLC player.
For those on iOS (iPad or iPhone) I can only play these after downloading the free VLC Player app. Then the sequence is long press on a link below / Download Linked File / click on download file icon in top toolbar / click on video in the download list / Open in VLC (top right) / have a lie down!]
Clip 1: A small mine to start the party [591Kb MPEG]
Clip 2: Lunig Ball rocket [1Mb MPEG]
Clip 3: Triple H Bomb in action [2.1Mb MPEG]
Clip 4: Shellscape cake in action [3.3Mb MPEG]
Clip 5: Kimbolton’s Midnight Carnival [3.5Mb MPEG]
Clip 6: Cosmic’s Quantum Leap [904Kb WMV]
Clip 7: First part of Crackling Clusters [796Kb MPEG]
Clip 8: Spirit In The Sky [992Kb WMV]
Clip 9: Crazy Horses [2.3Mb MPEG]
Clip 10: MLE Strobe in the rain [1.7Mb MPEG]
Clip 11: Festival Of Dragons [ 1.7Mb WMV]
Clip 12: As above, higher quality clip of middle section only [1.8Mb MPEG]
Clip 13: Finale Mix [3.3Mb MPEG]
Clip 14: More Finale Mix [694Kb MPEG]
Clip 15: More Finale Mix feat. Crown Of Rubies [2.1Mb MPEG]
Clip 16: More Finale Mix feat. Lake Of Sapphires [4.7Mb MPEG]
Clip 17: More Finale Mix feat. Armageddon [4.4Mb MPEG]
Clip 18: Finale’s Finale – Fan Cake [5Mb MPEG]
Clip 19: Adam (Reprise) [100Kb WMV – no picture – just listen!]
Member reports
These reports, taken from my Forum, were included in the original write-up. But I have also managed to track down the actual Forum thread these came from, which you can read by clicking here.
It was started in the early hours of 1st December 2002 which dates this meet to 30 November 2002. Very few of these Forum members are still active, which is understandable as at the time of writing, this was a discussion from two decades ago. Also worth noting is the thread ID is 167 meaning this was just the 167th thread to be started on my Forum; we are now up to nearly 40,000!
Andy P:
WoHoa!!! What a lot of stash we had! Full reports to follow from several people I expect, but as I’ve just got home to London and am still buzzing, thought I’d get in first to say a huge thank you to everyone who was there, especially Adam and (I think) Stillsy for firing (plus the odd little extra?! and of course Stu (Starsky) and family for being such brilliant hosts. Will check out the video on Monday, I can only see it through the viewfinder so far, not sure it will be of much interest to those who weren’t there but you never know!
Roll on the next one, which will be even better!
Paul S:
Well…….what can I say that is not going to get said later and probably better? The most enjoyable pyro event I’ve had the pleasure to be involved with! Tremendous event and great bunch of blokes.
No doubt much discussion will follow, but a couple of thank you’s first:
Starsky… for kindly and hospitably providing his home, superb curry and sacrificing his relationship with the neighbours. Also, for his regular safety wear demo’s.
Adam… what to say?… for providing Crazy Horses, unselfish firing (he missed it all for our benefit!) and his… er… ground breaking creativity. And for his hard graft setting out whilst I was embarrassingly stuffing my face. This guy’s a gem and we must remember it.
s9efc… for supplying breathtaking, bowel opening mines and best cake of the night – Kimbolton’s Carnival something! (photo finish with Shellscape’s Electric Palms). Sorry about killing the cat, mate – I’m sure she meant a lot to you.
CLawton… for bringing more pyro than was humanly possible to fire in one night… even with Adam’s multi-choreography. Thanks Chris, must have cost a fortune.
Stillsy… for bringing the FI stuff I asked for (even though the naughty chap took Emerald Twister home before I could see it!) and for picking up the gynecology lamps on the way.
Andy… for the MLE collections and Spielberg direction from Starsky’s house roof (please don’t edit the tape ’til I’ve seen the adult version).
MLE.. for supplying a fan cake with self disassembly for easy disposal!
Pete… for the ale.
Kids…..well behaved!
Man of the match?? Has to go to Mrs. Starsky for allowing a bunch of maniacs to invade her beautiful home (sorry about the mess missus – honestly! Really hope there is no damage to anything though). And for her admirably restrained verbal assaults on Mr. Starsky every time he mentioned buying more pyro. A sincere thank you
Enough said for now – still in shell shock I’m afraid.
Adam:
What can I say that has not been said? Thanks to Stuart & Misses for us wrecking his kitchen & that bowling green grass. Great bunch of guys and was worth the 350 Mile round trip… I would do it again no probs. I would love to see the Vid once its done and will then bore the misses to death all over Christmas..
Starsky:
Well… what can I say…. Big thank you to everyone who came, great night had by all..and my forecast of dry by 6 was spot on eh!!
It was always gonna be difficult to stop itchy fingers letting some off “to test” prior to the main bulk…but hey..thats what we were all here for! Many thanks to Andy P for his very athletic Vid Camera work!!….look forward to seeing the end result (unedited!!) Thanks to everyone, Andy P, Chris Lawton, Stillsy, Adam, Paul S, Wayne (S9EFC), Waynes Mate.. I’m sure that everyone to a man enjoyed themselves.
Probably biggest thanks has to go to Adam for donning the helmet and venturing up the garden (I think Wayne was up there too?? thanks!) … it meant I could concentrate on TRYING to get some stills and also sorting the food out!!
Once again thanks..many useful tips picked up during the night and some future contacts for good deals!! (Mr Orbital!) (never thought I would meet anyone who liked rockets more than I do…but Chris Lawton beats me hands down – with his mobile Fireworks Dispensary!!)
Clawton:
I think ‘Ground Breaking’ really does seem to sum things up – in more ways that one, those that were there will chuckle, I’m sure.
What a night, what a show, what pyro. I won’t repeat all the individual thanks that have gone before – just a real thanks to everyone involved. WOW, what a night. I’m sure there would be 1000’s of people out there who would have paid handsomely to see a display like that (all-be-it impromptu) at a public venue. Just a quick note of thanks to Shellscape for the ‘bits for you to try out’. Superb. Thankyou very much from all of us. Pyro stars of the evening had to be (IMO): Kimbolton 64 shot Midnight Carnival. Shellscape ‘Electric Palms’ – A very very close second. Lunig Ball Rocket – Gold Chrysanthemum – Don’t think the flight was supposed to be so erratic – but what a burst – and ‘hang time’, wow. There would be countless others as well. After the ‘individuals’, the display started so it was so hard to tell what was what.
All in all, (and I repeat again) superb. Thanks.
s9efc:
just a quick note to add my thanks it was a great night and I’ve already ordered another of the midnight carnival a truly magnificent firework
Stillsy:
Well, what can be said that has not already been said? A fantastic night was had by all. As previously stated every single person who attended we fantastic and a good laugh.
Thanks to Stuart for making myself and everyone so welcome and his missus for putting up with us. Also for providing the majority of the safety gear which was a great help. Adam, once again left his mark also thanks mate and Wayne for volunteering (?) for firing, it was a great show and I know that you probably did not see things quite the same way as we did. Once again, hats off to you both.
Andy, great camera work (very athletic), cant wait to see the video. Everyone else were really friendly and sane(ish)!!! Stuart was right all along after viewing the weather radar every half hour or so and it did indeed stop raining at 6pm. Although we did manage to create some rather staggering clouds of our own which worked really well with a strobe strategically place behind them. Didn’t reckon much to Adam’s sparkler firework… all it did was fizzle.
[Editor’s note 2022: A huge thanks once again to everyone involved in this meet up and in particular to Andy P for kindly supplying the tape from which the stills above came from, with additional photos by Chris.]