Fireworks

The man standing in front of the Rose Bowl gestured in the air with two well-tanned hands, then toward a group of workers putting the final touches on today's Fourth of July extravaganza in Pasadena, and tried to explain what made a good fireworks show. "I want you to see the whole theater," said Jim Souza, whose khaki shorts and black polo shirt made him look more like a weekend golfer than the pyrotechnic entertainer he is. "I'm trying to create effects."

Alexander Cortez tried to smile and seem nonchalant as members of his family watched from the front lawn of their house on Mountain Avenue in Pasadena on Wednesday evening. "I was just trying to have fun and relax, you know, celebrate the Fourth of July," he was saying as a police officer handed him a citation for misdemeanor possession of illegal fireworks.

Eddie Greenspan stood dazed outside his South Gate store and held a picture of James Dean that the flames had spared. Beyond the boarded-up doors, the clothes popular in Dean's era were in soggy, black lumps. "I lost two-thirds of my stock," said Greenspan, who opened the store and named it for himself in 1939 when he was a teen-ager. "What can I say? No insurance. What am I going to do, sit down and cry? Who's going to cry with me, you know what I mean?"

At dusk Saturday, about 350 friends and relatives of Hunter S. Thompson stood outside and stared into an inky sky, drinking, waiting. In front of them loomed a massive monument in the shape of the late writer's icon -- a dagger topped by a "gonzo" fist -- roughly 2 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. Thompson loved explosions.

Some Southern California communities have had to scale back their July 4 celebrations this year, but the skies over L.A. will still bloom with dazzling explosions when dusk hits Saturday. Most of the shows in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Riverside counties are free or inexpensive, but if you're looking for a more elaborate affair and are willing to spend extra money, head to the Hollywood Bowl to see John Fogerty perform, or to the Newport Dunes resort, or to the Rose Bowl, where families can experience an all-day food and music celebration finished off by a pyrotechnic display.

Only weeks ago, the 16-year legal battle between Chevron Corp. and thousands of indigenous people in Ecuador's Amazon seemed as if it were coming to a close. After years of delay, all that remained was for the judge -- there are no jury trials in Ecuador -- to deliver a verdict on whether the oil company is responsible for wide-scale contamination. But Chevron, which is widely expected to lose and could be assessed a staggering $27 billion in damages, is not going down without some legal pyrotechnics.

Blasting off fireworks on the Fourth of July is something of a birthright in Lakewood, a suburb north of Long Beach known for miles of tract homes and a passion for youth sports. But in March, a massive explosion set off by fireworks raised a house off its foundation and shook homes two miles away. "That was a wake-up call," said Donald Waldie, the city's spokesman.

An overview of Fourth of July events sponsored by cities and civic groups. Some festivities are actually scheduled for July 3: Aliso Viejo: Grand Park in Aliso Viejo Town Center -- 4th of July Celebration and Concert. Family activities, food and games. Evening concert and fireworks show. 5-9 p.m. Free. (949) 362-5890. Anaheim: Disneyland -- Fireworks start at 9:30 p.m. $47, $37 children 3-9. 1313 Harbor Blvd. (714) 781-4565.

A 4-year-old Compton boy tucked a firecracker into his younger sister's left hand Wednesday and lit it, blowing off the 2-year-old girl's hand, officials said. The girl, who also suffered serious wounds to her abdomen and legs, was rushed to Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center from her family's home. She was in stable condition by late afternoon, a hospital spokeswoman said.

At the stroke of midnight tonight, Southern California will mark a milestone that few are celebrating. History will show that from July 1 of 2006 to June 30 of this year, only 3.21 inches of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles -- the lowest precipitation level since records started being kept in the 1880s. Other cities around the region, including Pasadena, Culver City, Anaheim and Riverside, will also set all-time records.

Only weeks ago, the 16-year legal battle between Chevron Corp. and thousands of indigenous people in Ecuador's Amazon seemed as if it were coming to a close. After years of delay, all that remained was for the judge -- there are no jury trials in Ecuador -- to deliver a verdict on whether the oil company is responsible for wide-scale contamination. But Chevron, which is widely expected to lose and could be assessed a staggering $27 billion in damages, is not going down without some legal pyrotechnics.

Fireworks: Friday Calendar's guide to local fireworks displays listed an event in Fontana as being in Riverside County. Fontana is in San Bernardino County.

Some Southern California communities have had to scale back their July 4 celebrations this year, but the skies over L.A. will still bloom with dazzling explosions when dusk hits Saturday. Most of the shows in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Riverside counties are free or inexpensive, but if you're looking for a more elaborate affair and are willing to spend extra money, head to the Hollywood Bowl to see John Fogerty perform, or to the Newport Dunes resort, or to the Rose Bowl, where families can experience an all-day food and music celebration finished off by a pyrotechnic display.

Re "Hard-hit cities lower the boom on July 4 fireworks," June 29 It's sad that all these communities across America can't afford fireworks this year. After we in Lake Havasu learned that the city budget just didn't have enough funds this year to support the purchase of fireworks, the citizens decided to throw our own show. With the help of our fire department and our local businesses, we Havasu citizens are going to do it. Just goes to show, if the citizens really want something to happen, it can. It's kind of ironic: When our local government ran the show, it didn't really feel like it was ours; now it does.

Fourth of July special: A TV This Week item in Sunday's Calendar said that John Mellencamp would be on the TV special "Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular" on Saturday night. The show will feature Neil Diamond, not Mellencamp.

Aliso Viejo: Community festival with live entertainment, bounce houses, face painting, games and apple pie contest begins at 6 p.m. Fireworks at dusk. Grand Park, 26703 Aliso Creek Road. (949) 243-7411 or www.avca.net Anaheim: Canyon Hills Community Council's 4th of July Walk/Run check-in at 5:30 a.m. with celebration and festivities at 12:30 p.m. Canyon High School Parade at 3 p.m. Fireworks at 9 p.m. Peralta Canyon Park, 115 N. Pinney. www.chccanaheim.com Anaheim: Disneyland is open 8 a.m.-midnight.

Aliso Viejo: Community festival with live entertainment, bounce houses, face painting, games and apple pie contest begins at 6 p.m. Fireworks at dusk. Grand Park, 26703 Aliso Creek Road. (949) 243-7411 or www.avca.net Anaheim: Canyon Hills Community Council’s 4th of July Walk/Run check-in at 5:30 a.m. with celebration and festivities at 12:30 p.m. Canyon High School Parade at 3 p.m. Fireworks at 9 p.m. Peralta Canyon Park, 115 N. Pinney. www.chccanaheim.com Anaheim: Disneyland is open 8 a.m.-midnight.

Aliso Viejo: Community festival with live entertainment, bounce houses, face painting, games and apple pie contest begins at 6 p.m. Fireworks at dusk. Grand Park, 26703 Aliso Creek Road. (949) 243-7411 or www.avca.net -- Anaheim: Canyon Hills Community Council's 4th of July Walk/Run check-in at 5:30 a.m., with celebration and festivities at 12:30 p.m. Canyon High School Parade at 3 p.m. Fireworks at 9 p.m. Peralta Canyon Park, 115 N. Pinney Drive. www.chccanaheim.

Tens of thousands of people braved heavy rain to mark the Fourth of July holiday, cheering as the city's massive fireworks display lit up the sky and for the first time seemed to set the East River's surface aflame. Crowds sporting ponchos and umbrellas stood along the East River to see a formation dubbed the Jellyfish, which resembles the underwater creature, and the Electric Rice Krispies, crackling metallic shells.

Alexander Cortez tried to smile and seem nonchalant as members of his family watched from the front lawn of their house on Mountain Avenue in Pasadena on Wednesday evening. "I was just trying to have fun and relax, you know, celebrate the Fourth of July," he was saying as a police officer handed him a citation for misdemeanor possession of illegal fireworks.