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Explosion of patriotism
By DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- These days, it seems everyone wants to be George Washington, Uncle Sam or Lady Liberty. As the first Independence Day celebration since Sept. 11 approaches, store managers say patriotic costumes of founding fathers and symbols of freedom are quickly disappearing from their shelves. The greater sense of patriotism is not being talked about so much as being acted out, said Anita LaCagnina, store manager for Features Costumes, as she fitted customers with robes, powdered wigs and white beards Tuesday. "It's really a different trend than what has been in the past." LaCagnina isn't the only one noticing the shift. Across the county, parade organizers are planning celebrations for a public still stinging from the terrorist attacks. The American mind-set won't be so much on barbecues, fireworks and potato salad, they said, but more on the meaning of the holiday. "America right now and communities are more patriotic than they have been in the past," said Bethany Flores, chairwoman of the Temple Terrace parade. "After 9/11, everyone realized how special our country was and what it means to live here and be an American." Each year, Temple Terrace organizers take great care in choosing a grand marshal, she said, looking for someone like the mayor or a university president -- someone known for accomplishments. But this year, they decided to have more than one grand marshal. Members of the city's police and fire departments will all serve as co-grand marshals, along with four New York City firefighters and one New York City police officer. "We wanted to honor them because we think our own guys are great," Flores said. "This is a way of letting them know they're as special to us as New York is to everyone after 9/11." And despite a universal FBI warning to local law enforcement to be on heightened alert during this symbolic holiday, local leaders said they won't let it dampen their celebrations. Some cities, including Temple Terrace, said they have precautions in place. For security reasons, they won't reveal them. Others, including those running the Lutz parade, confirmed that extra security will be on hand. "We'll be a little bit more vigilant, a little bit more observant," said Hillsborough County Deputy Gordon Brown. "(But) we're definitely not afraid of anything." In Brandon, for as long as organizer Maureen Krzanowski can remember, the 44-year-old parade has always featured the sheriff and members of his Mounted Posse. "We've got the top guy," she said. "No one will want to mess with us." County Commission candidate Ken Hagan, who plans to ride in the Temple Terrace parade, said he hasn't been given any special security-related instructions. "Nope, no duck-and-cover," he joked. About the only fireworks surrounding that parade is in the scheduling. Organizers moved the time up to avoid afternoon showers, causing it to coincide with the Lutz Parade, also a big draw for politicians. Both parades begin at 10 a.m. Following the parades, two big fireworks displays will be held near downtown Tampa; one at the Florida Aquarium just after 9 p.m., the other in Centro Ybor at 9:45 p.m. And much like the costume industry, fireworks companies are finding themselves filling thousands of orders for patriotic-related items. From sizzling 12-foot Statues of Liberty to fiery 50-by-100 foot flags and boatloads of brightly burning Liberty Bells, pyrotechnics experts and fireworks companies said they've been inundated with requests for extra-patriotic displays. "A lot of people are saying, 'What can we do special this year for Sept. 11?"' said Victor Laurenza, a marketing specialist with Pyrotecnico, a Pennsylvania-based fireworks producer with offices in Tampa. About 70 to 75 percent of people who called asked for something red, white and blue, compared with about 50 percent last year, Laurenza said. But while every heart may beat extra true for the red, white and blue this year, most Fourth of July fireworks will not be American-made. Most are imported from China or, in rare cases, Japan. "Most of the blue fireworks are not even domestically made," said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association. "There are some countries, such as Germany, that are known for their more metallic shades of blue. It's the hardest color to make." Philip Butler has worked for Fireworks by Grucci Inc., one of the country's oldest pyrotechnic producers, for three decades and couldn't agree more. According to Butler, the best royal blue comes from a delicate mix of chlorine and copper arsenic, which is poisonous. Copper arsenic's toxicity can be especially dangerous because the vast majority of fireworks are mixed by hand. "When you make blue you have to be fully clothed, masked, and goggled," Butler said. True to industry form, Butler prefers to keep the formulas behind Grucci's famous royal blue shells and distinctive U.S.A. designs a secret. "You wouldn't ask Michaelangelo how many buckets of paint he used to paint the Sistine Chapel," Butler said. Grucci's owners keep at least 18 months' worth of supplies on hand at the headquarters in Bellport, N.Y. But Butler acknowledges that this year's record demand will likely take a bite out of the company's tri-color stock. "It will probably deplete a great deal of inventory this year," Butler said. "I suspect that if there was ever a year that somebody might run out of red, white, and blue this would be the year." -- Times staff writer Candace Rondeaux contributed to this report.
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Headlines From the Times local news desks Howard Troxler |
