What is MAPAG?

MAPAG is the Mid-Atlantic Pyrotechnic Arts Guild. We are hobbyists that meet on a regular basis to build fireworks, teach fireworks safety and manufacturing techniques, and enjoy each others company. Many MAPAG members are also Crackerjacks members. However, unlike the Crackerjacks, MAPAG is focused on member-built fireworks instead of shooting fireworks purchased from various sources.

These are some of the things that distinguish MAPAG from other fireworks clubs in the area:

  • Annual dues are $75 a year. There is no initiation fee. We also ask for a $20 donation per family for each shoot you attend, but this is optional.  We may ask for contributions on occasion to raise money for a specific purpose from time to time. Everyone contributes in their own way. If you have fallen on hard times and cannot pay your annual renewal fee (or cannot afford a shoot fee), we won’t throw you out of the club. We want you here.  We are focused on fireworks, not money. Churches and Synagogues run this way and seem to do just fine.

  • We meet in person once a month when the weather is warmer and static levels are relatively safe. We utilize the Internet for club meetings in the cold months. Ideally, we prefer to meet every month, one way or another.

  • MAPAG is focused on building fireworks, not just shooting them. As such, we do not purchase large quantities of Chinese fireworks to shoot in evening displays. When we do have displays, we utilize all member built materials.

  • We have a permanent building for assembling fireworks, and another building for storing fireworks that are in the process of manufacture, including drying stars and shells. The club meets at Herb Jenkins farm in Locust Grove, VA.

  • We provide facilities in the club magazines for member made items. Members have a legal place to store materials. We also provide contingency storage to members and assist them with the ATF licensing process.

  • Voting is online for all members. We provide a period of time (several days) for votes to be cast. Members are not be required to travel long distances just to cast a vote in elections. If you do not have Internet access, we have a provision to cast your vote over the phone or via email. We are a modern club and we embrace the use of technology.

  • We purchase chemicals in bulk to manufacture things for our events. Members can participate in club purchases to lower their own chemical purchasing costs. We are also in the process of acquiring equipment for star rolling, ball mills, presses, rocket and comet tooling, drying chambers, and WASP machines.

  • Safety is important to all of us, however certain fireworks items carry greater risk than other items. Rather than outright banning certain activities, we will work with you to find a way for you to do what you want to do. For example, if you want to build a one pound aerial salute, we will share our collective knowledge and experience with you, and provide you with an area where you can build such an item.

  • We like Class C, but Class C causes a number of headaches for us with regard to clean up. The land owner has assigned us an area in the back of the farm to shoot Class C. We have a few safety rules that must be followed, but if you want to shoot Class C, we have a place to do that. Note that if there is any live material being manufactured in the fields, there is no open shooting. However, our shoot permit does run from 1 pm to 11 pm each night, so there is plenty of time to shoot Class C.

  • Our email list is for the benefit of the club as a whole, not just the board. You will not be booted from the club email list for expressing your views, or for announcing the dates of another club’s meeting. We request that members refrain from talking about politics, and that everyone maintains respect for one another. If we can do that, the email list should do just fine.