Who remembers when fireworks were legal in South City?

South San Francisco, CA July 10, 2017 from our Facebook page

All fireworks are illegal in SSF, including Sparklers

PREFACE: We asked South City folks if they remembered when fireworks were legal in our City which led to 100 folks remembering and below are some of the responses. Please feel free to add yours!

EL Blanco Flama- Last night

Lesley Cassandras- I do!

Connie Simotas =The,first yr we,moved here we were excited to have nice weather in 1969. After that windy and foggy almost every year. So we never enjoyed fireworks

Cynthia Arias-I do!!! I miss that. Now, I go next door to San Bruno.

Donna Dennis- Yep when I as little in the 1970s watching my older brother and dad setting off fire crackers, cherry bombs, etc. Me? I had to make due with sparklers!

Eva Musante Castro- Yep we lived on Antoinette Ln next to Safeway n we would get our goods at the firework stand

Stacy Giusti Gonzales- Our fountains (fireworks) always went sideways because of the wind… Who knew they were supposed to go straight up!!!!

Nancy Arias-Ramirez- Why did SSF stop allowing? As a kid we had so much lighting them up in front of my house.

Lucinda Denning= I know right nancy. We would always set them off where liberty bank is.

Sailendra Kuma- Well back 20 years ago

Valerie Lambertson- We used to join in with our neighbors and light them in the street, with hoses at the ready. So much fun.

Mark McLaughlin- There’re legal till u get caught!

Kevin Maffei- Coldest night of the summer

Deborah Mcgrath- Hmmmm not sure when they went illegal but i do remember when they were illegal, some of the officials i.e. firemen and police officers always had the best ones!!!

Sharon Landers- Yep, I remember the metal sparklers. Not the ones they have now which go out halfway thru

Carol Smith- Avalon Park, Dad would like a flare, put it in the gutter and have the water hose ready to go, us kids would light our sparklers and fireworks from the flare, hang out with the neighbors and enjoy a tradition. The next day us kids would go up and down the street with our wagons picking up all the firework debris. Good times, sorry it’s not like that anymore.

Belinda Skarsgård- Wish that the city will have fireworks show at the park or at oyster point so we don’t have to go to neighboring cities

Brian Fowler- I do I remember walking in to my grand parents house and seeing many bricks of fire crackers m80s cherry bombs bottle rockets Roman candles and so much more

Juan Carlos Felix- Roman candle fights around the hood-Best memory of 4th of july!

Ryan Alexander- Yea I used to go up to the roof of Brentwood bowl in 1976 and fire off some whistling bungholes and We would all do peyote . Good times

Ellen Minucciani- All I remember is it was so cold and windy my father lit our fireworks with a blowtorch!

Marilyn Dollar-Basques- When my sons were young we had forth of July parties every year at our home in Winston manor. Great memories. I think if the city won’t let us do fireworks the city should have a safe place to go to watch fireworks

Stephen Devine- Foggy always on the 4th..West Winston Manor neighbors pooled their fireworks together..my dad lite them with a blow torch..fun memories of a simpler time…

Gene Wisnewski- Sitting in the grass hill next to Tanforan back in the day

Devin Varela- Fireworks are illegal because a large firework company could not sale their fireworks so they lobbied each city to prevent competitor sales. They succeeded in most cities except for Pacifica and San Bruno.

RebeccaMarie Salaiz- Long ago in the late 60s and 70s always to windy and foggy

Kristy S Chan- Illegal or not? Does it matter? People just don’t care. Still set off firework in SSF. Commit illegal act for their own leisure, causing fire hazard and increase fire department workload for no good reason, scare pets and babies …

Rick Narvarte They’re illegal in SSF? My neighborhood didn’t get the memo for sure.

Kim Franco-Rodriguez

? right!!

Kristina Vassallo- Mine either.

?. Lived here my whole life. Everyone still lights them off.

Mo O’Brien- I didn’t live in SSF when they were legal… In my neighborhood you’d never know they are ILLEGAL

Kristy S Chan- Pick your poison ..

Andrea Carey Villa- I think the people on Hemlock Ave got the memo but just don’t care about anyone else. Selfish and inconsiderate idiots. They don’t even have enough brains to go somewhere where fireworks are legal. They have no clue what the word “safe” means.

Stephanie Aragon- Raised in Ssf – in the Alley best time. Bottle rockets off the front porch

Wendy Sinclair-Smith- We moved here in 1984. We were lucky enough to have a big back yard patio protected from the wind. Every Fourth, we enjoyed BBQs and fireworks in our back yard with no incidents, just fun, the classic American family holiday.

A few years later in the 80s we went up to the golf course above Hillside Drive in Colma for the Colma City fireworks display. It was pretty spectacular. However, even with the fire department there, they set the mountain on fire (and put it out of course). They did that again the following year. I also was aware the mountain got set on fire every year, most likely from fireworks and always at this the year. Since the ban the mountain hasn’t burned like it used to. And people still do fireworks, but very hidden from view of neighbors who will turn them in. We just go to Pacifica now.

Today I bought a bunch from the booth run by the Boy Scouts. They said it will help the boys go to camp. If you get a chance to see it, the one called ‘Opening Show’ it truly the most spectacular one of the safe and sane ones we’ve ever seen or done.

Anna DeMarco Tholl- I remember in the 70s off duty firemen would come through the neighborhood and sell us illegal fireworks they had confiscated. I once lit off a whole package of firecrackers at once and they exploded in my hand. It was numb and weird looking for two weeks. Good times!

Grace Garcia- you would never know they weren’t last night

Jason Sivell- Use to buy them by the garden club.

Martha Vedder- Bought first home in 1964 in WM 2. Friends and neighbors combined our fire works. Great memories.

April Smith- always had fireworks in front of our house on Southwood! Good times.

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