The forum of montreal-fireworks.com celebrates its 10th anniversary! I start this thread to acknowledge our host and friend, Paul Marriott, but also to ask other members about the meaning of this forum for you.

In late June 2003, Paul added this forum to his already well-known website, allowing fans and professionals to post reviews and all sorts of information related to the Montreal International Fireworks Competition and to the fireworks more generally speaking.

At this time, Paul's reports were famous, providing very comprehensive (and fascinating) descriptive of each on-competition display. I am sure that many fans, like me, have discovered through these reports that some words actually exist to name what we saw in the sky, but were only able to painfully described. Furthermore, the forum has allowed the birth of a virtual community of fanatics who discussed, sometimes with passion, every single display produced at La Ronde. This community is even broader than it may appear, because it is obvious that much more people - especially in the fireworks industry - are readers only, instead than actual posters.

For me, this virtual community has progressively become a real-world network of pyro friends and acquaintance, beginning with Paul as soon as 2003. That was especially intense from 2006 to 2008, as I wrote stories for www.pyroplanet.com. It is through this forum that I have been in touch with Bill Raynault, owner of that website. Then, other have joined the group, on a regular or ponctual basis, like newest bloggers Mylène and Simon.

The forum also allows everyone to benefit of the information posted by other members. Trav's weather forecasts provide specific and reliable information to plan every fireworks nights. Off season, some cues fuel the annual anticipation regarding the release of upcoming line-up, and helped to go through the coldest season. Other participants, like Reflections of Earth, keep us informed about competitions around the world. These information are especially worth that mass media don't properly cover pyrotechnic events, as Georges Lamon (La Presse) did in the "old times".

I hope that this forum, as well as the Montreal International Fireworks Competition, will remain alive for years to come!

Fred

Thank you, Fred, for your kind words. I can't believe it's already 10 years. It's funny that this website has pretty much stayed with the same format for so long. I sometimes think it's time for a "make over", but, like the protocol for the displays at La Ronde, I think it just works and doesn't need to be changed.

It has been my consummate pleasure to serve as host and webmaster here, leading me to meet many in the pyrotechnic community around the world. As Fred states, I started the forum in 2003 and this lead me to attend my first symposium in Valencia in 2003 and thereafter take the training and apprenticeship program and become a licenced pyrotechnician. This weekend I fired my tenth Canada Day display in Knowlton with it being the 5th time it was a pyromusical.

I will continue to run the run for as long as there is interest in fireworks. I'm sure this will ensure it has a long life!

Paul.

Congratulations paul! I found this site on 2005 after seeing the 30 second video from ricasa's 2005 show (That is still my favorite show in the competition that ive seen on video until now :P). I have to say that, that really started my passion for fireworks! After reading around this site i learned a lot of the fireworks vocabulary and started becoming more active when full videos of the shows was provided by paul since 2008 and now by burchcom. Now i have done numerous shows and will be representing Philippines in this year's Pyronale going against 2 of the teams competing in montreal this year! (Zaragozana and Mirnovec) Moreover I am now in contact with benito from ipon for our products for the competition. Also ricasa and pyroprodukt (Matthias lunig). That said, this site is definitely special for me!

Best Regards,
Vander

Hi Fred (and everyone),

Happy 10th anniversary! You really beat me to it, but I thank you for starting this accomplished thread! Initially, I was going to submit the thread once the new year arrived, but it was, however, more appropriate for this time of the year, since this was the time when some of the first users had become registered as members a decade ago. Nevertheless, I have my thoughts outlined:

The Montreal fireworks competition has been such an influential event in our lives and quickly became a very dominant Summertime tradition for me (and many others, I'm sure) since the early 90s, when my passion for the competition increased immensely. Though my absolute favorite years for this competition will forever remain with the 90s through to 2004, Montreal fireworks (and fireworks, in general) continue to be one of my greatest passions and inspirations.

Prior to discovering this forum, I recall anxiously browsing for a website that would cover this competition, at least to some extent. Upon my initial search, this website was one of the first websites that was returned. Once clicking on that link, I was initially directed to the photograph section, and I rapidly became so immersed in the photos supplied by Bob Burch and Steve Austin. Then, I noticed a "reports" section and soon learned that someone (Paul!) was covering the displays and describing each section/segment of the performances in such great detail! From that point onwards, I regularly visited this website. By the end of June 2003, as Fred noted, this forum came into existence. Here, in addition to reading Paul's reports, I began looking through the thoughts of several others concerning each display, and this fueled my desire to contribute to the various discussions held, as well as offering me the opportunity to submit my curiosities and questions concerning the competition! Though I did not become a registered member until August 4th, 2003 (I still remember the day), I posted my comments anonymously (anonymous posting was still enabled at that time, until the beginning of 2006) towards the end of July that year. I had slowly become acquainted with members present at the time, as well as with some of those who posted in the “Guestbook” section, a section that had been removed for many years now. At the same time, like Fred and Vander stated, this website also served as a useful tool for me to become more familiar with pyrotechnic terminology, which later facilitated our discussions by appropriately describing relevant effects in various reviews/commentaries.

Among some of the first posters that I came into contact with was Enkil, at the end of July 2003, and I remember our first little conversation on the forum concerning weather, that is, the possibility of rain occurring for the closing show that year! Shortly thereafter, we became close! I also remember holding conversations with Paul, Fred, and Roger. By 2004, the forum had been introduced to so many new members, including Pierre, who had kindly shared all of his finale videos with us into August of that year! As the years progressed, we became acquainted with Dan, Lars, Jerome, Sean, Tyler, Vander, Rovira, Mylene, Simon, and Pat.

Because of the significant impact of weather on fireworks, this forum quickly transpired into a means for me to share meteorological information for each fireworks display and meant that it was possible to bridge together my interest for both weather and fireworks. By the Summer of 2004, the first formal weather thread was created (with some help from Paul for an appropriate title), where Enkil and myself provided some preliminary and broad weather details corresponding to each fireworks night. In time, it gradually became customary to hold conversations pertaining to the weather, especially near and on fireworks nights! Learning from forecast errors over the years also heavily assisted me to improve in weather forecasting, so I do owe a fair amount of my knowledge and expanding interest in meteorology and climate through postings on this forum!

Although members have come and gone over the years, it is always a pleasure to see that so many continue to be active on the forum, even in the bleakness of Fall and Winter. I especially thank everyone for continuing to post their reviews and comments concerning each display, as well as to our photographers, Bob, Steve, and Rachel, for continuously sharing their exquisite photos. A special thanks to Bob Burch for also posting full-length videos since 2010 for everyone to view! Paul, a very, very big thanks to you for faithfully keeping this forum active for all of these years, for bringing us insightful inside information for each display (among other things), and for making conversation amongst members possible. With every year that passes, I feel increasingly privileged to be a part of montreal-fireworks.com!

A continued faithful member,

Trav.

I thought that it would be interesting to point out that today marks 10 years since I made my very first post, as an anonymous poster, on montreal-fireworks.com!

Trav.

Trav,

And 10 years later, you are pretty famous! See the first P.S. of my post in the Canadian review thread!

Fred

I don't remember when exactly I posted my first comment on this forum, but it for sure influenced me to become a member of the jury in 2005

And here's to another 10 years of fun conversations and friendly discussions!

Dan

And today, at precisely this time, I celebrate 10 years of membership on montreal-fireworks.com!

All that I require is a small glass of champagne, together with hot/humid conditions, fireworks (or thunderstorm), and 80s/90s dance music.

Cheers,

Trav.