Capitol Fireworks

The state government of Arkansas has made some truly baffling decisions this year (like making AETN disaffiliate from PBS or the whole Charleston prison debacle). But the one good thing that our state government is able to pull off is a pretty decent fireworks show. We set up on a hillside behind the Capitol, which is away from the crowds. The only issue this year was the wind blew all the smoke from the show towards us, so by the end of the show you could hardly even see the fireworks.

Fireworks At The Capitol

On the first weekend of December, the state of Arkansas puts on a little fireworks show after the holiday lights are switched on at the capitol. It's a great tradition, and still remains as one of the truly great things that our state government does for us every year.



But Christmas isn't the only time there have been bangs and explosions at our state capitol. There was also the time that the capitol was used for a 1986 TV movie called Under Siege (not to be confused with the movie where Steven Seagal is a chef on a boat and has to stop terrorists). In this Under Siege, bad guys are attacking Washington DC. They shoot rockets at the Capitol and do other bad things. Since presumably the Capitol in DC was unavailable, the makers of the movie set off explosions at the Arkansas capitol instead.



And then there is the cinematic masterpiece that is Stone Cold, from 1991. This time, some bad guys have attacked the capitol. But luckily Brian Bosworth is there to stop them. On the third floor, one of them foolishly tries to drive his motorcycle at Mr. Bosworth. He dodges at the right moment, sending the motorcycle through the window and into a helicopter.

Capitol Fireworks

The Arkansas state government spends money on lots of things - like highway construction, the state police, lecterns. But one of the best things the state does every year is the annual fireworks show in December, when the thousands of holiday lights on the capitol building are switched on. So last weekend, Jonah and I headed to the capitol to see the show.

We parked and walked around the building just as the sky was lit up with some subtle sunset colors.



And then after it got dark, and after the customary speeches from some random state politicians, the fireworks show started. It wasn't the easiest of fireworks shows to photograph this year. There was no wind at all, so the smoke from each firework didn't blow away and just lingered. By the time the show reached its grand finale, the smoke was so thick it was like a thick fog had settled in over the city. This was taken at the beginning of the show, before the smoke had gotten too thick:

Capitol Fireworks

Arkansas' state government isn't always that great (and next year's legislative session is sure to be a doozy), but one thing that it does right is the annual fireworks show at the State Capitol in December. The fireworks fill the sky just before the 200,000 or so Christmas lights on the building are switched on for the first time. It's a fun tradition, especially if you have kids. So Jonah and I headed out there and we found a good spot in the lawn in front of the capitol.

The show starts with a few speeches from various politicians (much to the dismay of all the kids in the crowd), and then there is a big countdown to the start of the fireworks. Except this year there was a little hiccup in the plans. The computer that runs the lights and fireworks apparently decided to freeze up just when the show was supposed to start. So after the countdown everything went dark and then......nothing happened. For about 15 minutes everyone stood waiting in the dark as the kids got more restless and the adults made jokes about the state forgetting to pay its electric bill. But eventually they got everything working and the rest of the show went off without a hitch....

4th Of July

We headed down to Riverfront Park in North Little Rock to find a place to watch the annual Pops On The River fireworks show that is held on Independence Day. After driving through traffic and finding a place to park, I realized that I forgot to bring my tripod. Whoops!

We sat up our chairs along the River Trail, and I used a concrete bollard as a sort of makeshift tripod. It was placed there rather precariously, so I spent most of the time before the show started making sure it didn't tumble off the bollard and also making sure my six year old didn't run off into the river. It managed to work ok, since I was able to capture some non-blurry pictures of fireworks that night....

Capitol Fireworks

Every year, the state of Arkansas is kind enough to drape about 100,000 lights all over the state capitol building, and then do a nice little fireworks show after they are switched on for the first time. It's a popular tradition, and I've never once heard anyone complaining about their tax dollars literally going up in smoke. It's also a great opportunity for photographers, and there were several people with tripods (and drones) out there trying to get a few pictures. Here's my contribution for the night:

Capitol Fireworks

One of the best holiday traditions in the state is the annual fireworks show at the State Capitol. Surprisingly they actually went ahead and had the show this year, despite the pandemic having cancelled most major events this year. The state just kindly asked that everyone social distance and wear masks. I took Jonah to the show, but we set up off to the side away from where most people were gathering at the front of the building. Fortunately, it seemed like most people were distancing and we only saw one family there without masks.

This year they didn't do the usual ceremony, with just a short recorded message from the Secretary of State. Which was nice, actually. Sometimes in years past the ceremony and speeches would drag on a bit. Soon enough, the fireworks started up....









Right after the show was finished, all of the 100,000 or so Christmas lights on the Capitol are switched on. The lights are on all sides of the building, which was done so that the kids at the nearby Children's Hospital could enjoy them. The state has been putting lights on the building since the 1930s. It's a great tradition, although there are many people who miss the old "disco dome" lights from the 90s.