Winterlude to kick off with fireworks and music
Published January 20, 2010 | 
The National Capital Commission is kicking off Winterlude with 20 minutes worth of fireworks, along with musical performances and a light and video show to mark the opening night of the festival’s 32nd season.
The show will take place at the Museum of Civilization on Feb. 5, kicking off three weeks of festivities.
While the festival will tie in the Winter Olympics, organizers will also use the first weekend to collect donations to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.
The NCC announced the festival’s lineup on Tuesday. Activities will include skating on the Rideau Canal, an ice pond hockey tournament, snow sculpting at the Snowflake Kingdom and ice sculptures in the Crystal Gardens.
The Snowbowl venue, which had been used for concerts in the past, is not part of this year’s lineup.
Winterlude is credited with bringing in about $82.5 million in economic spin-off for the national capital region, attracting an average of 650,000 visitors each year.
It’s estimated one in three people who attend the festival are visitors from outside the region.
Posted in Uncategorized | 
festival, Firework news, fireworks, kick, music, off, winterlude, World news | 
Leave a commentSparks fly during fireworks debate
Published January 8, 2010 | EVESHAM’S bonfire night celebrations will go ahead next year, despite calls to scrap the traditional event.
Town councillor John Payne called on fellow councillors to postpone any decision on the future of next year’s event, normally held in Corporation Meadow, so further investigations could be made.
Coun Payne had suggested cancelling it altogether after the council made a loss because, instead of paying to watch the display, people watched for free from Evesham Leisure Centre car park or Abbey Bridge.
He said: “Are you all happy at the potential of running next year’s event at a loss? This town council can put on events or it can use money from its funds for the bonfire for the people of Evesham. If we have got that money to spare I can think of some very good places to put it including promoting the town.”
However, Coun Richard Jones said the promotions committee had taken all options into consideration when agreeing last week to the bonfire night celebrations going ahead next year in its current format.
He said: “If you pack up after one failure then nothing would get done. The vote taken was with the best interests of the town. If next year everyone pulls up to the car park again perhaps that’s the time to pull it.
But personally I think it’s worth one more try.”
Councillors voted against a motion to delay the decision further.
The future of Evesham’s bonfire had been thrown into question when this year’s celebration left a £1,200 shortfall.
Posted in Uncategorized | bonfire, Firework news, fireworks, next, sparks, town, World news, year | Leave a commentWarning after four-foot firework lands in Blackburn garden
Published January 8, 2010 | A CONCERNED resident has urged New Year’s revellers to celebrate with caution after a four-foot rocket landed in his back garden.
Jeff Kay, 55, of Milking Lane, Lower Darwen, was enjoying his own small display from his back garden with friends and family to welcome in 2010.
But he has questioned the use of commercial fireworks in built-up areas after a stray rocket ended up at his feet.
Mr Kay said: “At midnight we released four quite large biodegradable hot air balloons, and were delighted to see them drift majestically through the cold night sky in the general direction of Darwen Tower.
“At the same time a spectacular firework display was taking place with lot of rockets being fired from numerous houses in the vicinity.
“It was a wonderful sight to bring in the New Year until a four-foot rocket landed with a thud in our garden.”
Mr Kay said that on Bonfire Night a similar ‘unguided missile’ dented the roof of his car and added: “I just question whether the use of these large display-type fireworks is appropriate in a built up area.
“I don’t know where it came from, but it was quite a monster.
“It could have dropped down on anyone, causing them injury.
“It obviously cost a fair amount of money. I just want people to make sure they know what they are doing and give a little more thought to their surroundings.”
Posted in Uncategorized | display, firework, Firework news, garden, new year, rocket, warning, World news | Leave a commentCharges possible in incident with youths, fireworks
Published January 8, 2010 | WAILUKU – Police said the parents of two children burned by fireworks could face charges for allegedly endangering the youths by allowing them to play with fireworks in the bed of a pickup truck.
A 7-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy were severely burned when the fireworks ignited shortly after midnight New Year’s Eve at a Waiehu residence. Both were flown to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children in critical condition, with the girl suffering third-degree burns to both legs and the boy suffering second-degree burns, police said.
A relative who lives at the home said the children weren’t playing with fireworks when they were injured.
But police said Wednesday that further investigation showed that the parents failed to properly care for and protect their children and recklessly endangered them by allowing them to play with fireworks in the truck bed.
The parents also failed to recognize the risk of injury to the children, police said.
Police are investigating the parents for cases of child abuse or neglect, endangering the welfare of a minor and reckless endangering. Reports will be sent to the prosecutor’s office for review, police said.
Posted in Uncategorized | boy, children, Firework news, fireworks, old, police, World news | Leave a commentGreat party … shame about the mess
Published January 8, 2010 | THE New Year clean-up began in earnest yesterday, after thousands of revellers enjoyed a successful Hogmanay in Scotland’s big cities.
And with the world-famous Edinburgh Street Party raking n an estimated £30 million in revenue for Scotland, organisers last night hailed the “extraordinary” success of the event.
About 350 Lothian and Borders Police officers kept watch on the crowd, making only four arrests during the evening, all for breach of the peace.
A crowd of 80,000 people welcomed the New Year at the capital’s huge outdoor celebration.
Eighties chart-toppers Madness, The Noisettes and Codeine Velvet Club headlined the musical acts in Princes Street Gardens, while elsewhere the crowd partied to DJ sets by Snow Patrol, Belle and Sebastian and The Enemy.
Four-and-a-half tonnes of fireworks – as well as a spectacular laser display – lit up the sky as the sound of Auld Lang Syne filled the night air.
Pete Irvine, creative director for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, said: “It was an extraordinary night in Edinburgh. There was brilliant music, a magical fireworks display against a full moon sky and the dramatic castle slopes dotted with snow, and a friendly and euphoric atmosphere that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.”
Early yesterday morning, more than 50 street-cleaning staff began the task of removing 30 tonnes of litter from Edinburgh city centre.
Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Mike McCormick said: “We have been delighted with the behaviour and attitude of revellers in Edinburgh this Hogmanay.”
He added: “Only four arrests were made by our officers on scene, and we would like to thank the public for helping to create a fun and memorable event for all concerned.
Ambulance staff were also taking stock of Hogmanay, as they reported their busiest night of the year, dealing with more than 2,200 calls during the New Year celebrations – up 5 per cent on the previous year.
Edinburgh experienced a big increase in calls this year, with a 20 per cent rise in call volumes. But A&E staff in Scotland said that many hospitals appeared to be slightly less busy as the cold weather helped to keep people at home.
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Hogmanay is always our busiest night, and this year was no different as we dealt with a high volume of calls across the country.
“Activity at times was intense, with most of the calls occurring between 2am and 4am,” said the spokesman.
“All staff on duty last night had to cope with an exceptional workload – and they did so admirably.”
Edinburgh’s Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre dealt with 907 calls between midnight and 7am, up from 757 last year.
Elsewhere, the Cardonald centre handled 971 calls, down from 1,090 last year, while calls at Inverness rose from 294 to 369.
Hospitals across Scotland experienced a busy Hogmanay night, with alcohol-related injuries taking up the bulk of their time.
Dr Jennifer Devine, an associate specialist in emergency medicine working in Glasgow, said A&E staff had still had to deal with many drunk patients, who had suffered falls or been in fights.
Dr Devine, working in Glasgow’s Stobhill Hospital yesterday, said: “The patient comes here and then the family follow on, and they are all arguing with each other.
“You call the wife to come and collect them, and when she arrives she is just as drunk as he is and they have a barney. We had two of those this morning.”
She added: “Most of what we have seen have been assaults. We’ve had a stabbing. We have had people with abdominal pain, which is alcohol related as well.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of skiers took advantage of the bank holiday snow, shunning the Alps and other more exclusive resorts as they took to the slopes of CairnGorm Mountain.
Bosses at the resort said that, over the four-day Christmas period they had had more than 8,000 skiers and snowboarders – including 800 on Hogmanay alone.
Already, more than 15,000 skiers have headed to the resort since it opened at the beginning of December – putting it well on course to beat 2009′s season of 63,000.
Posted in Uncategorized | Firework news, great, last, night, party, Scotland, World news, year | 1 Comment
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