9:20 PM: Seattle Fire crews are on their way to a reported roof fire at a home in the 4000 block of 37th SW (map).
9:25 PM UPDATE: First units there say it appears to have started in a gutter and it appears to be out. Most of the units have been canceled.
9:31 PM UPDATE: Per scanner traffic, the fire may have been caused by “someone setting off flares” in the vicinity; police are looking around.
Oh no. I could smell pyrotechnics from inside my home earlier tonight. Had hoped no roofs would catch fire. I’m speculating, but it sure has been loud over here.
Lovely. The night when all “patriotic” americans feel it’s their civic duty to light off explosives.
Wish people would head the warnings and obey the LAW!!!
My buildings landlord came out earlier today and hosed down our roof because it’s flat and didn’t want a stray firework landing on it and burning down the building.. Now its a giant puddle up there…. And I’d LOVE to thank my neighbors and the M80’s they’re setting off for scaring the BAJEZUS out of my cats!! grrrrrrrrrrrr
A neighbor confirms the flares, by the way. Meantime, police really are being dispatched to fireworks calls. If you have access to a scanner or online feed, listen in.
Ohhh try living south of 106th…. Its worse than a war zone. Had to board my dogs. Hopefully I will get a little sleep…
I listen to the Kiro Scanner all the time. Started listening to it when my car was stolen a few years ago.. just stuck with it… it’s interesting sometimes.. THERE goes another M80!!..
Sorry about your dogs, Coffee. I am sure they are happier where they are than listening to the booms and bangs though. Thanks for caring for your pets :)
My neighbors won’t stop. Where do they get the money for this?? What a waste. I tried calling the non emergency number but the line was busy.
watching the fireworks down below from the top of Charlestown hill. Someone must has lots of money to “burn”. sorry for all the pets. time for an Advil PM :)
Very heavy stuff in the vicinity of 34th SW and Admiral Way, occasionally rattling our windows. Keep waiting for the screaming when one of these misfires.
hate all these stupid neighborhood fireworks; I worry every year if my home will burn down; we also have flat roof, and I’m top floor; we’re in 3400 block of 37th; tons of loud explosives 1 block west for over an hour so far
And here in Upper Fauntleroy, it’s been nonstop blasts for about three hours. Luckily our surviving cat is not easily spooked.
Highland Park has been pretty exciting for the last two hours…fortunately, my cat is so old he’s mostly just annoyed at being woken up.
beautiful professional fireworks visible north from 37th/Hinds; actually looks like 2 professional fireworks shows over the bay; wonder who’s putting those on
Lots of Flares going north from the white center area, they are just floating fully on fire still but not burning out… We hate to think what its like when and where they land
All you complaining people, 4th of July is once a year. You know when it is, perhaps leaving town or crawling into a hole will satisfy you. Who cares how much they’re buying? Nobody cares what you buy. Bring on the celebrations , be happy to be alive and have freedom. Enough of the bah humbug.
We just reported a fire across the street where we live someone threw fireworks out of their car and started a brush fire at sealth high school
I’m across from High Point Morgan/35th Ave SW and it s pretty active… my cats are hiding in the bathroom. 12yr old and an 11th month old kitten.. Diane, I feel for you.. last year my building almost burned… the landlord decided to SPRAY IT DOWN this year… its a big puddle up there and they left the roof hatch open for us, in case we or the fire dept would need to get up there with an extinguisher or a fire hose… It’s scary.. too many houses so close and its been so dry..
2 house fires in North Seattle caused by fireworks; people have good reason to be concerned
I’d really like to thank the neighbors who blocked off 51st SW between Andover and Charlestown for their “block party” tonight, consisting of lighting off aerial firework shells from a mortar rack placed in the street right next to parked cars, in front of their yard full of people (with small children in the front row, of course, less than 25 feet from the mortar rack). The roofs of the homes you’re lighting that $&%^$^%# above thank you, too.
Alki Resident… THEY ARE ILLEGAL!!! We will vent if we like… Glad you aren’t concerned about your home catching fire,
3 guys lighting off ‘the big stuff’ across the street here on Alki Ave. Haven’t seen 1 police car all day/night on Alki – they must be busy somewhere else, tough night to be a law enforcement officer.
These guys are hitting passing cars, apartment buildings/condos, and houses with firecrackers. I’m ready for things to quiet down, I’m sure ost of us on the board tonight are exercising saintly patience.
Re: police – from the scanner, there was some kind of an incident – I’m not sure if it involved a car – tying some up for a while at 62nd/Alki, two teenagers were reportedly hurt, though not major. Also, there’s been some staging at 57th – I suspect to clear the beach post-fireworks; last time I watched from there, some years back, right at 11 pm, when the park technically closes, officers with bullhorns ordered everybody to leave, stat. There also is a demand for extra officers at Lake Union because the big boat fire mentioned by Diane is causing trouble with traffic patterns exiting the park (fireworks display ended around 10:47, per scanner). Here’s a snapshot of what’s kept SFD busy tonight:
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http://www2.cityofseattle.net/fire/realTime911/getRecsForDatePub.asp?action=Today&incDate=&rad1=des
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Green lines are calls that are still “open,” meaning fire dept. crews are either still on scene (even just 1 of the original dispatch) or still involved, such as, transporting someone to the hospital and not back on duty from that.
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TR
PS… if we left town… no one would be at our homes to protect them from those lighting the ILLEGAL fireworks that have the potential to do harm to our homes…
Totally agree with Alki! As for fires…..grab your chair and the hose! We had a BLAST in N. Admiral! Hose and all. Happy Independance Day!! Oh but the M80’s…….I just don’t get those.
It sounds like ‘Alki Resident’ might want to find a locale where this stuff is legal next year, so he/she can “properly” (according to them) enjoy his/her 4th.
Alki Resident…If it was confined to tonight, I could deal with it, no matter how illegal they are. But it starts a week-plus in advance and lasts for another week or ten days afterwards. For one night I can sedate my dog and know what I’m dealing with. I can’t do that for 15 – 20 straight nights.
@ Alki Resident and Bsmomma
Bah humbug eh? The fact that it’s illegal in the city doesn’t matter then?
Why should people have to grab a chair and a hose?
6000 block of 37th here. Someone a few blocks northwest of us and one of the neighbors directly east (assuming 36th) has been going all out with the big booms for over two hours now. It’s especially fun to deal with now that we have an infant in the house. He normally sleeps right through the night, but so far has had to be soothed back to sleep twice.
Yeah, I’m not happy.
Has anybody known of anyone who was setting off
these fireworks who actually got BUSTED??
Anywhere? I would feel better if I knew there was some enforcement going on SOMEWHERE in this town.
Seems like the law is totally ignored in my neighborhood; year after year; same neighbors; same LOUD, easily spotted fireworks. Wouldn’t be rocket science to find these guys. ??
TR Thank you for the update regarding our police officers. Tough night to be law enforcement! They’re probably being called in 20 different directions at once…
@Diane…I called my landlord last year when then one lit our roof on fire.. AFTER we all called 911. They hosed it down for the 4th last year and then they came out this year. I’m glad they are taking a proactive approach to saving our homes from these illegal fireworks that stray.
Well, yeah. The Seattle Police published a little chart of when to call about illegal fireworks. Basically, it’s “don’t call unless something’s on fire or someone has been hurt” approach to enforcing the law, so why not throw explosives into the air and risk burning your neighbor’s house down? Behind the Alaska Junction it has been like a war zone and we saw flares earlier drifting across the sky. Watched them closely… hope they didn’t land on someone’s home.
I’m OK with a little noise on the 4th and don’t care what people do with their money, but I DO care a whole lot about fire falling from the sky!
I can live with sparklers/fountains(small ones are legal, very small), though when people set off huge ones it’s annoying, especially when it’s in dry weather.
Besides pets, the persistence to use illegal fireworks especially(and more specifically) the ones that are basically nothing more then bombs is very hard on those with ptsd.
My father is over in Tacoma, and was having a bad night of flashbacks last night(probably in anticipation of tonight) and when you add to that the fact that the 4th is already hard on him it’s very worrisome. He is over 65 as well.
Something to think about to all of you who think “well it’s only once a year” yes it is, but out of all holidays involving fireworks the 4th is -always- the worst.
~Erithan, a worried daughter.=(
AND, those idiots that set off fire lanterns from the beach; I’ve seen a couple float by so far; couple months ago they set off about 20 fire lanterns; one landed next to my building, still on fire
It was my house that caught on fire. I was on a boat on Lk. union and my mom was here watching my dogs. Luckily a neighbor saw that my roof was on fire and pounded on my windows. They got the animals out of the house. 5 fire trucks showed up and put the fire out. Everyone is fine. Downfall is, the drunken neighbors up the street that caused this are still lighting their illegal fireworks…
The fire lantern is what caused the fire according to my neighbor.
9000 block 16th. I know this is a bit cliche when describing neighborhood fireworks, but it has literally sounded like a war zone for several hours now.
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Alki Resident, no it is NOT just one night. Although the 4th may be the most intensive, it goes on for weeks before and after.
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Don’t give me that “patriotic” crap. These idiots aren’t patriotic, they are most likely drunk, and have to compensate for lacking in size of a particular body part, by setting of big boomers.
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Howzabout when anyone has been found to have started one of these fires with illegal fireworks, they be charged with arson.
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Mike
Darcy, I’m glad they got your house fire put out…Glad someone was at your home when it happened, and you had vigilant neighbors. Hope the damage is minimal. Glad people and pets got out safely..Not cool!!! Hope the neighbor that did it, gets the bill for fixing the damage, jerk!!
I’m with you CanDo and I’m sorry about your dad, Erithan…. Hopefully everyone will go to sleep soon and the fireworks will stop.
Oh my gosh, I’m so glad everyone’s fine, Darcy! I hope the damage is quickly repaired.
This madness has got to stop – merely a ‘ban on fireworks’ is hardly doing the job. SPD need to enforce the law, or what good is the law? How bizarre… legislation that’s not enforced. I don’t understand that.
Again, I’m grateful and glad that everyone in your home is safe, Darcy. The miscreants are still out here en masse lighting off their small bombs, with no recourse.
It’s unbelievable how bad it’s become in recent years. No one has mentioned wildlife, but this is also nesting and fledging season for many birds like herons and Ospreys, and incessant explosions like the ones we hear all night can cause considerable distress or even harm. It’s disheartening how callous so many people seem to be about anyone but themselves.
good point GriffinG; I saw a raccoon run from across the street into ours, hiding in a rock wall, when all the loud booms started; didn’t even think about the birds
thanks Darcy; well that confirms all my bitching about those damn fire lanterns since last summer; if you see them, call 911 to report; I suspect those will continue all summer, unless people call them in, or another house catches on fire
So tired, but they’re still lighting off fireworks in Highland Park. Like what was said earlier, they’ve been celebrating for weeks and will continue to celebrate tomorrow. They are nothing but asses!
Darcy, glad your pets are ok111
Ladies and gentlemen our Forefathers advised that to celebrate our independence “ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
Now all you naysayers and bah humbugers – caterwauling that these are “illegal” what other illegal things do you whine about? Smoking pot before it became “legal” same sex marriage before it became legal? Illegal immigration? – Nah, just fireworks.
“Less educated to blow stuff up”, “drunkards”, “idiots”, most recently “asses”. People these are your NEIGHBORS, I bet they don’t judge you the other 364 days a year. And I would bet they CERTAINLY do not use such brash adjectives to describe you.
Yes, accidents happen, but they happen every day in every other aspect of life.
Get over yourselves please.
Maybe we should float a people’s initiative making fireworks legal July 3-4-5.
Simple. Just make them illegal. Then, magically nobody will have them. Ya know, like with guns except without that silly second amendment thingy.
Those lanterns are dangerous and I’m sure we will be seeing a lot more of them since there was recently a Groupon for them.
The neighborhood “war-zone” fireworks traumatized our 5 year old more this year than past. He was crying all night. I think it gets worse every year.
its beyond ridiculous that this is tolerated by law “enforcement”. its dangerous, not just obnoxious and annoying. people should not have to worry about their drunk idiot neighbors burning their house down. it has little to nothing to do about patriotism, its about people feeling entitled to do what they want.
who entitles them? the police, for tolerating it.
Some people haven’t reached the emotional/moral reasoning state where they appreciate the impact of their actions on others. Gay marriage affects me not at all. But as a taxpayer, I pay for fire and rescue to save someone’s house that got torched. As an insurance subscriber, I indirectly pay when someone’s house burns down or they burn themselves (or worse) with fireworks.
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But yeah. Yay, freedom. ‘Murica.
Ted Nakahara, I’m sorry that I was among those that hurt your, and the other people’s feelings, that were setting off fireworks.
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Now that I have apologized, I think it would be a nice gesture on your part, if you reciprocated by locating the names and addresses of all of the people in the Puget sound area that had their homes damaged by the fireworks, as well as the folks whose boats were damaged/destroyed on Lake Union, and sent each of them a nice little hand written note saying: “Sorry for the Inconvenience!”.
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Mike
GET ACTIVE IN STOPPING THIS ! Fireworks are not only illegal. They pollute the air (massively) and scare domestic and wild animals. They damage the planet. We need to celebrate with respect for the environment, animals, people and property. There is a huge problem of enforcement here. Interested in forming a coalition to address this issue and device methods of ENFORCEMENT (citations, fines) Or maybe hiring private security folks (all pooling our money) to enforce this? It is getting worse. if interested in helping SOLVE THIS FIREWORKS ISSUE please write to Pat Davis, c/o Alki Mail and Dispatch at 4701 SW Admiral Way, PO BOX 373, Seattle,WA 98116
I am thinking to address this with the City of Seattle so we can get THE LAWS ENFORCED. Any ideas of how to solve this issue would be appreciated. We need to learn to celebrate a different way. Your help and ideas can help us DO something about this. Please include your contact information when you write. This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, but unenforced. Maybe even stopping the SALE of fireworks completely- State wide? as in : 100 % no sales and a higher consequence for having and using fireworks. Again: as a country we need to take the planet and safety and the environment seriously.
Your help is appreciated. Pat Davis
Pat – the mayor is coming to the Southwest Precinct today for a media update of sorts and we plan to ask about this. – TR
My strategy of walking down the block at 12:30 this morning and asking “ok! Which one you wants to put my two year old back to bed?” (hi Rob!) worked! Immediate cease and desist. Seemed to me the noise was much worse this particular year.
This is the last year I will board dogs (in Highland Park) over the 4th of July. The fireworks start well before the 4th, day and night for a week or more. Last night may have been the worst in 15 years and I agree with the poster who refers to a war zone. Even the sound abatement rooms on the ground floor, with calming music and constant loving hugs, Thundershirts and flower essences… there is no relief for the terror they sense.
I live next door to Darcy and only moved in a few weeks ago so had no idea July 4th in West Seattle would be such a scary event. I also had no clue about the fire next door until the fire trucks came to a screaming halt out front. Thanks so much to the neighbors that are alert. These houses are very close together and the idea the people can fire flaming objects into the air and not care where they land is ridiculous. The noise went on for hours. My dog was terrified, shaking and restless all night. Darcy, I’m glad all is well with your mom and pets. Not sure what to do next year, afraid to leave home in case it goes up in flames. :(
Trotting out the constitution to defend fireworks is illogical.
When our slave owning forefathers decreed that fireworks should be used to celebrate independence, the population density was microscopic compared to today, and the firepower we have now to destroy ourselves and our property pales in comparison to 1776.
Burning down a house with fireworks is not an “accident”, but criminal negligence.
Leave the firework displays to those who have training and intelligence.
anyone else find it a tad bit ironic that our City Councilmember Mike O’Brien made a big damn deal about banning plastic bags (and all council members and the Mayor agreed) and the opt-out for phone books (which cost the city/taxpayers nearly a million dollars in legal fees); and yet they do nothing, ZERO, to stop illegal fireworks that damage the air, water, wildlife, babies, pets, and the public’s simple enjoyment of watching professional fireworks without worrying about having our homes burn down; please ask Mayor McGinn that question; and everyone, write letters to the Mayor’s office and City Councilmembers, and City Attorney Pete Holmes
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and it puts undue burden on our fire, police to have to deal with all the harm done by illegal fireworks
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we also need a ban on those stupid fire lanterns (which Darcy said was the cause of her house fire); when one of those fire lanterns landed at my house, still on fire, a couple months ago; I called the fire dept, talked to the chief at our local fire house on Alaska; he said there was nothing on the books
Unfortunately the briefing’s been postponed to some other day because of the SWAT situation that turned into a deadly shooting on Capitol Hill. But we will pursue the issue. Also the question about the Sky Lanterns – I’m going to research that one; have always wondered why it’s OK to set something on fire and throw it up in the air – TR
How did the fire on my roof turn into a discussion on gay marriage? Ridiculous..
At Carolyn, there is no way Cindy and I are ever leaving the house again on the 4th as long as we have our pets. That was a lesson learned the hard way. The 3 of us can have a BBQ in one of our backyards and enjoy the view of the Lk. Union fireworks from our own houses. There’s no reason to go anywhere when it’s just too unsafe because people are thoughtless and stupid.
I do not reference the constitution, the quote is from a correspondence from our second president to his wife, Abigail.
If I were to follow a fellow commenter’s logic, we would have to do away with the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence
As far as houses burning down, how many residences did we lose to fireworks these last few days? How many car accidents have we had? Should we all NOT drive cars? Operate power tools? over-exert ourselves as we all (well some of us anyway) pay car insurance premiums, as well as health care insurance premiums.
As far as the professionals go, like these guys?: http://blogs.findlaw.com/injured/2013/07/fourth-of-july-accident-fireworks-injure-28.html
A quick look at the seattle fire department website says that there were roughly 44 “fire events” many of those were rubbish fires. It appears that there were roughly 518 calls.
If you want to be wet blankets, go ahead. But don’t do it under the guise of “illegal fireworks” can’t wait to read the comments about the pirates landing.
Darcy was a fire lantern (seems a little too “peaceful” for the 4th) or a boat flare that started the fire? We watched several boat flares land in your area just prior to the fire. Glad to hear that everyone is doing ok..
At this point I don’t much care one way or the other but I’d love to know how quoting Adams’s correspondence proves the validity of your argument…
@ Ted.. Thanks for dismissing what happened last night for your own entertainment. You’re a swell guy.
@ SrlyShrn.. It most likely was a flare after seeing everything in the daylight this morning. One of the neighbors 3 houses down said he saw one of those lanterns going right for my house right before everything happened. There was things blowing up all around us so it’s hard to tell.
Maybe Ted could also send consolation notes to the owners of the 14 boats burned because of errant fireworks, as well as a get well card to the Renton man likely to lose part of his arm and leg. Alki Resident can co-sign it.
@carole: why shouldn’t that person be held accountable? Much like a car wreck, the person responsible is held to account. As for the idiot who was using his fireworks improperly, that is on him. I’m sorry he lost an appendage, but evidently he was trying to make the fireworks do something they weren’t designed to do. Alcohol may have also been a factor. That in itself does not necessitate a blanket ban on fireworks.
This city really has turned into a bunch of self serving whiners. We really don’t have any business celebrating Independence Day.
This city really has turned into a bunch of self serving whiners. We really don’t have any business celebrating Independence Day.
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That’s pretty ironic coming from someone using the name of a guy famous for executing people whose revolutionary fervor he deemed insufficient.
Folks, there’s no point in challenging Ted’s comments anymore.
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He’s just going to keep justifying his position with non-nonsensical comments, including resorting to apples to oranges comparisons.
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Mike
just saw Laura James on ch4 tv news with group cleaning up HUNDREDS of pounds of fireworks debris out of Lake Union; one more reason to get rid of illegal fireworks
Yup. she mentioned that Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, with which she is working now, had a big fireworks cleanup today! Although I think some of it was related to the legal fireworks show. Might be wrong.
I grew up in a state where fireworks were perfectly legal to detonate. Neighbors were careful and everyone picked up after themselves. We were all careful. Sorry for your unpleasant experience, but I enjoy fireworks, official or otherwise, on the 4th. Your dog wetting the floor and running under the bed notwithstanding.
Pat Davis, I second your motion!! There must be something we can do to DEMAND that our police don’t just drive around saying “naughty, naughty” when it comes to fireworks. If they started handing out the well-deserved fines and jail time this crime calls for, maybe it would stop – or at least subside. Why should I, a law-abiding citizen, have to go weeks without sleep, pay to drug my pets senseless (which doesn’t even work) or leave town, to accommodate a bunch of explosive addicted A-holes? There isn’t a single positive aspect to the blatant and irresponsible use of illegal fireworks in neighborhoods.
I wonder if we could start some kind of petition to deliver to the Mayor and police chief? It doesn’t help when police representatives go on television to announce they will NOT be enforcing the law…
How would the police enforce this? I don’t approve of people using fireworks, but realistically I don’t think the police could go around ticketing or arresting people for using fireworks. There is just too many people lighting off fireworks and a limited number of police. The only real solution would be the ban the sale of fireworks.
please contact the Mayor’s office; the police are limited in what they can do to enforce; they have to follow the law, and orders from their superiors; write letters to the Mayor to make these demands
I did the leg work for the police last night and found out which neighbor caused the fire on my roof. I stopped an officer who was buying snacks at the Admiral Safeway and gave him the address. Obviously he did NOTHING because the illegal fireworks continued way into wee hours of the morning. The firefighter admitted to my mother who was here at my house while they were putting the fire out that nothing would be done about all of the illegal fireworks. I’m grateful they responded so quickly and contained the fire but I feel pretty uneasy knowing that fireworks are low on the totem poll even after they respond to a fire.
the garbage at golden gardens is repulsive today. ^
also on whidey island, plenty of firework related trash on beaches.
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if the the firework-lovers want to have even a shred of an argument, at least clean up after yourselves.
There was nothing fun, patriotic, young or entertaining about what went down last night. My own neighborhood was rocked by, what turned out to be, mortars! Yes…you heard me right. Our house was shaking on it’s foundation. Something has gone awry with fireworks and they need to go. I suppose the young boys setting off mortars are lucky to get away with two hands & two feet each.
No one is asking the police to do anything extra. If they can issue a warning, they can damn well issue a citation, and the citations would more than pay for extra patrols. There should be a zero tolerance policy instead of the total tolerance policy currently being practiced.
To Pat Davis:
I would request the Council fine people for fireworks. Make it stiff, because of the fire hazard involved. Maybe $500, or 3x that to make it expensive. Then include in the law a way to have citizens take pictures of the offenders, include name and address, and send it to the city for prosecution.
Many people are concerned about the hazard and the impact to ourselves, animals and neighborhoods.
I myself have had rockets land on my roof. Scary yes, and a mess to clean up the next day.
Have an annual contest in a closed area near the water( of course charge a entrance fee and have participants sign a injury waiver) to allow those who must, have a controlled way they can ‘play.’
Oh yes, and educate the kids starting in kindergarten, and continuing through high school.
Thanks Pat for encouraging us to be proactive.
The whole city would benefit from this activity.
Re: stopping sales of fireworks in this state.
On the east coast, in Pa, fireworks are illegal…have been for years.
And on the 4th, you can’t buy them, so there is no noise.
People go to community provided firework displays, and enjoy the beauty and relative serenity of the display.
Then you are home a few minutes later to enjoy a good nights sleep.
Hopefully the Tribes would join in on the effort and not suffer a financial loss because of lost sales. Their support would be crucial.
Thanks again Pat.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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