Castle Blends Unique History with Awesome Fireworks
The Castle of Muskogee is gearing up for its annual fireworks sale, which attracts more than 100,000 customers from the Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri areas. The Castle’s 50,000 square-foot, air conditioned Fireworks Showroom boasts the largest selection of fireworks in middle-America and has available some of the largest “Heavy Weight” fireworks in the country. The Castle is only a short 45-minute drive from Tulsa and will be open June 15 through July 5 from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm.
Jeff Hiller, who began constructing the 12th century Norman-style castle in 1995, had originally planned for the castle to be used solely as a showroom and storage facility for his expanding fireworks business. Today however, the castle attracts nearly 200,000 visitors to Muskogee each year for events ranging from the Renaissance Faire to corporate meetings or weddings scheduled in the Castle’s Great Hall or Black Boar Pub. The Castle has become a chief source for tourist dollars and employment opportunities for the Northeastern Oklahoma region.
The Castle of Muskogee sells assorted fireworks ranging in price from $2.95 to $299.95. Jumbo aerials, rockets, roman candles, firecrackers and sparklers will all be available for purchase, allowing the whole family to celebrate America’s independence with fireworks that are appropriate for their age.
Many different varieties of firework are available, allowing both children and adults the opportunity to safely enjoy them. For children under the age of 5, the Castle offers “snappers” which have no fuse and require no flame to use. Children can throw them on the ground or step on them to make them pop. Other alternatives for children this young include glow sticks and light swords. For those children 5-10 years old, many novelty-type fireworks are available including the climbing panda, the golden-fish, the hen laying eggs, and the bullet train. For children ages 11-16, nearly anything goes and with over 350 items there is something for everyone. For the adults however, re-loadable mortars are available. These fireworks feature multiple tubes which shoot flaming balls and streaking lights high into the sky as many as 91 times.
The Castle urges those celebrating with fireworks this year to exercise caution. Safety tips include:
- Use fireworks outdoors only.
- Never experiment or make your own fireworks.
- Never throw or point fireworks at anyone.
- Never carry fireworks in your pocket.
- Never shoot fireworks in a metal or glass container
- Always read the warning label.
- Watch out for overhead obstructions.
- Always have a designated shooter (Alcohol and fireworks DO
NOT mix)! - Never ignite fireworks while holding them. Place them on a firm, level surface, ignite them, and walk away.
- Never assume that a firework that has been ignited but does not explode is safe to approach. Any malfunctioning firework should be abandoned.
- Use a “punk” to ignite fireworks. Punks burn without an open flame and provide a greater distance between your hand and the fireworks.
- Have a safe landing zone for aerial fireworks. Consideration must be given to wind direction and flammability of materials in and around the landing zone.
- Have a fire extinguisher, hose or bucket close at hand to extinguish any fires or malfunctioning
fireworks.For a list of these tips or for a complete picture catalog of fireworks, visit the Castle of Muskogee’s website at www.okcastle.com.
Updated 06-30-2005
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