July 9, 2010
Fireworks fans asked to carry out their trash, sparkler wires
Thanks to a rainy weekend, the Independence Day fireworks show was postponed to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 11. Revelers who admire the Ames fireworks from green spaces along University Boulevard are asked to carry home everything they brought with them -- including wires and other residue from used sparklers and hand-held fireworks. ISU campus services leaders said that the wire residue creates a hazard for teams and individuals who will participate in sporting events in those same areas in the coming weeks.
"It used to be that the fields wouldn't be used for a number of days, allowing us to get out and ensure there were no hazards to sporting participants," noted Les Lawson, manager of campus services. "Now those areas are so popular, it is challenging for us to get these areas cleaned the way we'd like to."
Maple-Willow-Larch intramural fields and the southeast intramural fields are used in July by ISU sports camps, Shrine Bowl football teams and various Iowa Games competitions.
Easy solution
Disposing of your sparkler wires can be very easy. Fill a coffee can, soup can or even a yogurt container part way with sand or dirt. You've created a holding container for your used sparkler wires until you can dispose of them at home. There also are trash containers throughout the university fields.
