The Firework Shop List Blog

JOHNSONVILLE—For many, the fascination with fireworks begins at a young age. Most kids start with firecrackers, sparklers and bottle rockets, perhaps moving on to “roman candles” or other slightly more intense but still smaller scale items.

Eventually, on the Fourth of July or Christmas, some might even dabble in the bigger stuff. Parents and grandparents supervise as the youngsters put on amateur displays to family’s delight, normally lasting a few short moments, one or two satisfying “pops” and “bangs.“ Few take their career in pyrotechnics past this initial stage but keep up the tradition into their adult lives.

For others, however, those first few “cracks” and “pops” grow louder through the years, and eventually you have neighbors walking onto their front porches to take in the show, cars begin to stop on the highway and marvel at the bright lights and grandma is all smiles as she gazes into the fiery night sky.

At the Bazen residence in Johnsonville, what started as just a few fire crackers and small rockets has turned into an affair that now attracts huge crowds to the family’s estate on SC 378, just before the intersection at SC 41/51. For the past eight years, Jeff Bazen, youngest of two sons to Badger Bazen, has attracted residence from the surrounding area to see what started as a way to entertain his grandmother.

“It started from that,” Jeff said, referring to the few tiny rockets and flares his father, brother Glen and he used to set off at his grandmother’s house every year at Christmas. Eventually, Jeff and Glen’s grandmother developed severe glaucoma and was unable really see the fireworks as they were shot off, but Badger said his mother would turn off the porch lights and be able to make out the colors in the dark.

“My mother use to love to watch the fireworks,” Badger said. “She really looked forward to it every year.”

The tradition that started in the early 1980’s, when Jeff was no more than 12 years-old, held up, growing more and more each year. By the time Badger completed work on the family estate just outside of Johnsonville, the fruits of a successful business career, Jeff had become certified to handle professional grade fireworks.

The family planned for the biggest show yet.

Unfortunately, Badger’s mother passed away before the first big show in 2001. That inaugural performance was dedicated to her, which started a tradition of dedicating each show to different people over the last eight years.

And oh, what an eight years they have been. Jeff and his father said the displays have lasted anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes over the years. Now, Jeff said, after extensive training and years of experience the shows typically last between 30 and 45 minutes.

“You’ve got a window of opportunity of about that time before people start yawning,” he said. “I think we’ve pretty much mastered it… I have a few simple rules and one of them is ‘no black sky.’”

Based on the preparations being made this year, the chances of anyone falling asleep during the final performance are slim. After weeks of preparations, Jeff and his show partner Sean Marsh have extensive plans choreographing the show, which is totally automated and will be controlled by the two on a master electronic board near the launch site. Safely protected behind specially made glass, Jeff, Marsh and a few others will monitor the show up close and hope to delight the crowd like never before.

Jeff said the display this year will feature upwards of 4,000 single shots, ranging from displays that can be bought at your average fireworks retailer and others that will be delivered the morning of the show by the company formerly known as Melrose Pyrotechnics, now East Coast Distributing, a producer of major fireworks materials.

“It’s very much a learning process,” Jeff said. “Now we’ve made all the mistakes to where we can make it work and work safely.”

Over the past eight years, he said, the show has caused no injuries. However, Jeff said precautions are always taken to ensure a good, safe display.

“Knock on wood, we have never had in injury,” he said. “In fact…the state fire marshal has complimented us for being such a safe show.”

So, in their ninth year, what do the Bazens have planned for their exit?

“We’ve got a couple of things we’ll save until the very end,” Jeff said with a wink. “Our finale is going to be… a little bit bigger this year.”

Badger Bazen said that due to the enormous cost of the show and the amount of work that goes into it, he feels it is time to call a quits. The public has been allowed to drive around the Bazen estate at night for most of December to take in the families extensive display of Christmas lights in the weeks leading up to the display, something Badger says will also be ending after this year for the same reasons.

The fireworks display is December 19 at 7:00 p.m., free of charge, at the Bazen residences.

Original Post