Event Schedule

Below is the MOST CURRENT 2024 WinterBlast event schedule. All classes, sessions, seminars, etc. are subject to change without notice. Please check for the most up-to-date information about the event. Click the event title to read more about the event and its presenters. 

PLEASE NOTE, ALL EVENTS ARE IN MOUNTAIN TIME (MT)

 

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Winter Blast - Public - Session Search

Burst Workshop

Workshop | Tent 2

Wednesday, 02/14
10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Mike Garrett | Steve Wilson

Fireworks shells built during the workshops need burst in them so they open and display properly in the sky. In this workshop we will make all of the . . . burst required to support the shell workshops. This year we will make two types of burst – black powder coated rice hulls (BPCRH) for the round shell workshops and pulverone for the Italian shell workshop. Pulverone isn’t really burst, but it does burn up completely and it needed to help pack Italian shell good and tight. There will be discussion about what we are making and why. Come prepared to get your hands dirty.

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Workshop Prep – Fusing & lift sub-assembly (for ball shells & mines)

Workshop | Tent 2

Wednesday, 02/14
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Mike Garrett | Steve Wilson

All those seminars and workshops take a lot of supplies that need to be prepared so you can enjoy your week. Get your hands dirty with some of the . . . preparation work such as cutting quick match, visco or timefuse. Time fuse needs to be cross-matched and black powder lift needs to be weighed out. The requirements vary from year to year.

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Advanced Cylinder Shell Considerations

Seminar | Tent 2

Thursday, 02/15
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Whitney Petersen

In this session large and complicated cylinder shells will be discussed. Details such as what does it take to get these bad boys into the air . . . successfully, what happens when you try to do multiple breaks with complicated timing, etc. It will be an open discussion where ideas and techniques can be shared.

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5″ Ball Shell Workshop – Part II, Group 1

Workshop | Tent 2

Thursday, 02/15
12:30 PM to 1:00 PM
Mike Garrett

Have you ever wanted to build a round ball shells? Then this workshop is a good place to start.  This workshop will teach you how to make your own 5” . . . paper ball shell. Working with experienced shell builders, you will get hands-on knowledge that will guide you in building a ball shell that looks and performs just like the pros.  There are three workshop parts: The first part, ‘Introduction to Ball Shells’, has a tutorial, demonstration and Q&A. That is followed by Part II for the assembly and wrapping of your shell. A fleet of WASP machines will be used to expedite this procedure. The shell is then dried overnight.  On the following day, in the third session, you will apply the lift and leader to the shell.  Your shell can be fired that night on the B-line in a special area just for us.

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5″ Ball Shell Workshop – Part II, Group 2

Workshop | Tent 2

Thursday, 02/15
1:00 PM to 1:30 PM
Mike Garrett

Have you ever wanted to build a round ball shells? Then this workshop is a good place to start.  This workshop will teach you how to make your own 5” . . . paper ball shell. Working with experienced shell builders, you will get hands-on knowledge that will guide you in building a ball shell that looks and performs just like the pros.  There are three workshop parts: The first part, ‘Introduction to Ball Shells’, has a tutorial, demonstration and Q&A. That is followed by Part II for the assembly and wrapping of your shell. A fleet of WASP machines will be used to expedite this procedure. The shell is then dried overnight.  On the following day, in the third session, you will apply the lift and leader to the shell.  Your shell can be fired that night on the B-line in a special area just for us.

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5″ Ball Shell Workshop – Part II, Group 3

Workshop | Tent 2

Thursday, 02/15
1:30 PM to 2:00 PM
Mike Garrett

Have you ever wanted to build a round ball shells? Then this workshop is a good place to start.  This workshop will teach you how to make your own 5” . . . paper ball shell. Working with experienced shell builders, you will get hands-on knowledge that will guide you in building a ball shell that looks and performs just like the pros.  There are three workshop parts: The first part, ‘Introduction to Ball Shells’, has a tutorial, demonstration and Q&A. That is followed by Part II for the assembly and wrapping of your shell. A fleet of WASP machines will be used to expedite this procedure. The shell is then dried overnight.  On the following day, in the third session, you will apply the lift and leader to the shell.  Your shell can be fired that night on the B-line in a special area just for us.

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5″ Ball Shell Workshop – Part II, Group 4

Workshop | Tent 2

Thursday, 02/15
2:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Mike Garrett

Have you ever wanted to build a round ball shells? Then this workshop is a good place to start.  This workshop will teach you how to make your own 5” . . . paper ball shell. Working with experienced shell builders, you will get hands-on knowledge that will guide you in building a ball shell that looks and performs just like the pros.  There are three workshop parts: The first part, ‘Introduction to Ball Shells’, has a tutorial, demonstration and Q&A. That is followed by Part II for the assembly and wrapping of your shell. A fleet of WASP machines will be used to expedite this procedure. The shell is then dried overnight.  On the following day, in the third session, you will apply the lift and leader to the shell.  Your shell can be fired that night on the B-line in a special area just for us.

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5″ Ball Shell Workshop – Part II, Group 5

Workshop | Tent 2

Thursday, 02/15
2:30 PM to 3:00 PM
Mike Garrett

Have you ever wanted to build a round ball shells? Then this workshop is a good place to start.  This workshop will teach you how to make your own 5” . . . paper ball shell. Working with experienced shell builders, you will get hands-on knowledge that will guide you in building a ball shell that looks and performs just like the pros.  There are three workshop parts: The first part, ‘Introduction to Ball Shells’, has a tutorial, demonstration and Q&A. That is followed by Part II for the assembly and wrapping of your shell. A fleet of WASP machines will be used to expedite this procedure. The shell is then dried overnight.  On the following day, in the third session, you will apply the lift and leader to the shell.  Your shell can be fired that night on the B-line in a special area just for us.

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4″ & 5″ Go-Getter Shell Workshop

Workshop | Tent 2

Thursday, 02/15
3:05 PM to 5:00 PM
Monty Gill | Monica Blam

‘Introduction to Ball Shells’ is a required prerequisite for this workshop. Participants will build two Go-Getter shells in this workshop; a 4″ . . . Go-getter shell to shoot at the B-line whenever you like, and (optionally) a 5″ Go-getter shell that will be featured in a member display. A Go-Getter is a novel firework effect. These are special stars made in a tube with an energetic color formula that causes it to jet around in random directions.

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4″ Italian Shell Workshop – Part I

Workshop | Tent 2

Friday, 02/16
9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Kurt Medlin | Scott Morton | Joseph Madziarczyk | Steve Wilson

Make a cylinder shell using traditional Italian methods. This workshop has two parts happening on successive days. The first part will be a . . . lecture/discussion in the beginning and then each participant gets to build their own 4″ Italian Shell. This includes rolling a case, filling it with stars and burst, sealing it up, spiking and paste wrapping. The pasted paper wrap needs to dry overnight. On the following day Part II will have the participants apply the lift and leader parts of their shell. Completed shells will be transported to the B-line for firing. Find you completed shell in the red ready box towards the left side of B-line.

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5″ Ball Shell Workshop – Part III

Workshop | Tent 2

Friday, 02/16
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Mike Garrett

Lift and leader the ball shell that you made in Part II of this workshop.

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Introduction to Black Powder Rockets

Seminar | Tent 2

Friday, 02/16
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Kurt Medlin | Steve Majdali | Scott Morton

Traditional black powder rockets are a perennial favorite at Winter Blast. We will demonstrate how to make a “one-pound” black powder rocket. Starting . . . with a few simple tools, a tube, some clay, a few ounces of black powder composition, and a stick, the presenters will explain all the elements that go into making a successful rocket as they demonstrate the technique.

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Introduction to Building Fireworks

Seminar | Tent 2

Saturday, 02/17
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Eric Krug

This seminar is for people that want to start building pyro and don’t really know where to start. Topics include the following: Legalities, Good . . . Reference Websites, Safety, Setting up a place to work, What to steal from the kitchen when nobody is looking, Low-cost tools to purchase, and Basic chemicals. A few projects will be demonstrated including making Meal Powder, Cutting Stars, and Pumping Comets.

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Falling Leaves Utilizing Lance Tubes

Seminar | Tent 2

Saturday, 02/17
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Lewis Dirks

Lewis has been on a quest to make falling leaves inserts since 2017. He has attempted so many different methods of making them that he has lost . . . count. At some point in that time he overheard someone talking about finding a small tube on the ground from a falling leaf shell. The lightbulb in Lew’s head lit up (it was dim, but it was lit). He has worked for the last several years to get a falling leaf star made in a lance tube that worked to his satisfaction. The method he is currently using will be discussed during this session.

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3″ Bag Mines Workshop

Workshop | Tent 2

Saturday, 02/17
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Gina Papini

In this workshop participants will learn about mines, a mid-level firework device that sprays lit stars into the sky.  This workshop will concentrate . . . on the basic bag mine which is simple, effective, and easy to build.  Since there are very few wrong ways to make a mine, we will show you most of the right ways. If there is enough time, we will even show you the wrong ways. Each participant will have the opportunity to make a 3” bag mine.  These will be available at the B-line for you to light that same evening. Impress your friends with your newfound pyro-making abilities. There is no extra charge for the advice of the experts (it’s worth every penny).

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4 & 5 Inch Maltalian Shell Construction

Seminar | Tent 2

Saturday, 02/17
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Mitch Piatt | Kevin Mather

In this seminar you will learn how Maltese & Italian technics are combined to produce a single break color shell that looks Maltese without the . . . need for commercial powders, solid stringing or a lift maroon and sabot.

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