I have it on good authority that the Canadian team of Garden City Fireworks are going to be revealing some very special surprises in their display. Designed by Michael Bohonos, apparently special shipments of these secret products have just arrived and will be tested early next week to make sure they will work in the way intended. With the Aurora Borealis as a theme, colour is going to be a very integral part of this display.

With shipping issues being in everyone's minds this year, I was relieved to here that all the most difficult to ship items, those classified as 1.1G, have arrived in Canada and will be in the display. Many companies are having trouble shipping 1.3G products this year, let alone 1.1G so this is indeed good news. In Canada, all shells larger than 6" follow the UN 1.1G designation for transport, unlike the US where even 10" shells are still classified as 1.3G.

I will report more if/when I hear how the tests of the special products go next week.

It's certainly shaping up to be an exciting competition!

Paul

Oh wow, yet another entrant to look forward to, and just after Australia as well. I'm just really itching to see what kind of "surprises" the debutant Canadian firm has in store for us. The way it sounds, it seems like these products have never been used before in the competition, so they should be easily identifiable.

Indeed, as I had mentioned just before the competition commenced, the Canadian display will most certainly have some excellent color richness, mainly due to their choice of theme favoring it. I really look forward to this, what appears to be looking like, glamorous performance with showers of color relating to one of nature's most mysterious phenomena.

It's also nice to see that shipments arrived on time and that the products are ready to be tested.

Thanks for the news, Paul.

Trav.

Let me echo Trav's sentiment and thank Paul for the information.

Going into the competition, Canada's Aurora Borealis theme was far and away the theme I most wished would be pulled off successfully and to the best of the firm's abilities - it is great to hear that we should be getting something out of the ordinary for what ought to be an extraordinary display!

I just had to decide to move the day before this display.

Move where Canuck? You don't have to let that get in the way of catching the display, do you?

Sadly it does. Im moving to Vancouver.

Well, at least it's nice out there in B.C.!

Hopefully you'll stick around the forums to follow the competition and give us some insight into the HSBC Celebration of Light competition out West.

We'll miss you Canuck (except for Ampleman & co.)

I hope the move works out for the best.

Tyler

Gonna missu canuck

But u'll see the videos on the forum and utube

Thx, guys. I will keep you all informed on Vancouver's Celebration of light. Thank God for the videos of the shows. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't at least see the shows online.

I'm going to be visiting the firing ramps today and will be meeting with Team Canada. Any more news I have will be posted here this afternoon.

Paul.

canuck,

I wish you a good trip to Vancouver, my friend. If you're not a fan of the extreme heat during the Summer, nor the extremes of the Winter commonly seen here in Eastern Canada, then Vancouver's your place. The warm currents coming off of the Pacific Ocean really does it justice in moderating yearly temperatures, and although Winters are widely unsettled with abundant rainfall, I'm sure you'll love the city and all it has to offer, in general.

In addition to Paul's full videos, you can also view my finale clips (as well as the last five minutes or so) taken from Notre-Dame/De Lorimier to get the perspective from there - these are all uploaded onto Youtube, and my username is Rain1290. You'll also find TRae's various clips there as well. Finally, since you're additionally able to view the full videos, you can still very well provide us with your own individual comments and accompanied analyses as well, so we look forward to hearing from you!

And yes, please keep us posted regarding the Celeration of Light fireworks festival whenever time permits you.

Paul,

I look forward to any additional news you may have about Canada later today.

Trav.

Hot off the press:

Aurora Borealis and even Aurora Australis over La Ronde!
Montréal, Tuesday, July 22, 2008 – While Montrealers won't be able to admire the aurora borealis in Northern Québec, they will have the opportunity to see it at La Ronde on Wednesday. And not only that, they will be able to see southern counterpart—the aurora australis, which should be thousands of kilometers away—at the same specific time. Indeed, the theme of the show put on by Canadian Garden City Display Fireworks will be that light phenomenon of rare beauty we call the aurorae, during the International Loto-Québec presented by TELUS.

Aurora: Fire in the Sky promises to recreate in its own way the elegance, mystery, color, and movement of the aurorae. One of the intense moments of the show will be the "wall of fire" deployed in the sky, resulting from the successive explosions of highly sophisticated shells controlled in flight by computer.

Michael Bohonos, the show's designer, opted to pair his pyrotechnical effects with music that will give watchers some of the same emotions that he experiences while observing the northern lights in northern Ontario. In other words, the spectacle will produce moments of joy and surprise as well as sadness, concern, and melancholy. And as the aurorae occasionally give the impression that they are dancing before our eyes, the show will make spectators want to move in time with the effects.

Garden City Display Fireworks, founded at about the same time as Montréal's pyromusical competition nearly 25 years ago, is based in Beamsville in the Niagara Peninsula. While this will be the firm's freshman presentation at L’International des Feux Loto-Québec presented by TELUS, it will be the designer's third time. He was a member of the Royal Pyrotechnie contingent in 2003, the year that the Canadian firm won the Golden Jupiter, as well as the Hong Kong/China firm in 2007. His past experience will undoubtedly play an important role.

A few scenes from a video interview with representatives can be viewed on the Internet at www.internationaldesfeuxlotoquebec.com. The site also lists the titles of the 13 pieces of music that will be heard at the La Ronde.

The soundtrack:

Fire Dance
David Foster

Run Free
Hans Zimmer

Amistad
John Williams

The Ghost and the Darkness
Jerry Goldsmith

Rain Maker
Hans Zimmer

Lyra, Roger and Billy
Alexander Desplat

Wall Breached
Harry Gregson Williams

The Scorpion King
John Debney

All of Them
Hans Zimmer

Insomnia
Melanie Lynne

Hook
John Williams

Peter Pan Flying
James Newton Howard

Into the Sunset
Harry Gregson Williams

***Tyler is officially very excited***