Fyreside Newsletter - 6/22/26

Hey Reader,

I hope you were able to enjoy a long weekend! Whether or not you celebrated anything, I hope you at least stayed cool and stayed out of the sun.

The 4th of July used to be my favorite holiday, exclusively for the fireworks. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve launching Indiana's finest fireworks from my grandparents backyard. With or without patriotism, the wonder of booming color captivated me. Eventually, I decided I like Halloween more, but I do still love a good fireworks display.

Maybe that's why I've been so enamored with the Washington, DC fireworks display from this weekend.

Look at this picture

Gave Smoke Through The Night

Ok, look, I'm very much not trying to make a political statement this week. In theory, the world's largest firework display sits squarely in the middle of a Venn Diagram of my interests, no matter who is in office. That said, this fireworks display sucked shit.

It sucked shit because you couldn't see most of it. Disclaimer: I wasn't there, but I've watched plenty of videos. It was 40 minutes of smoke punctuated with flashes of color and the sound of explosions. Here's another picture, and friendly reminder that both of these images were taken by professionals and edited for clarity.

The smoke was actually so bad that the City of DC issued a Code Red Air Quality Alert. Due to the prolonged weather issues, specifically the humidity, and the aforementioned "world's biggest fireworks display," Washington, DC briefly experienced the worst air quality of any major city in the world.

So who was it for?

There's an apt metaphor here, I think. In my time as an "events guy," spread across a number of different roles in my career, I've heard some lofty goals. Business leaders love to overestimate and underdeliver. Usually, that's not the goal from the start, but it's a mistake that's made early. It happens when business owners/leaders/event planners/presidents forget that they are not the audience. They come up with massive, immaculate plans, but only consider how it looks from their perspective. It's like painting the backdrop for a play and then turning its back to the audience. Everyone wants to see their plans succeed, but too many want to see their plans shine in their image.

Unfortunately, displays like this aren't for the people planning them. Those business owners/leaders/event planners/presidents are quick to forget that someone is watching from the other side. They come to see the world's biggest fireworks display, but their experience isn't prioritized. So, instead, they sit in muggy, smokey air and hope that Reuters or Getty manage to capture clear enough pictures.

In conclusion:

Planning the world's largest fireworks display is a cool thing to do. But, when the smoke clears, will anyone have even seen it?

-MC

p.s.

I continue to hunt for jobs full time! That's cut into my time to create Bahnfyre content pretty significantly. So apologies for a sparse newsletter and a huge thank you for your continued support. <3
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