Page 25 - Biz X Magazine - June, 2014 Issue

Feature Story Sidebar Patty’s My Name, Pyrotechnics Is My Game! By Richard Rosenthal t’s festival time and what goes better at Isummer events then freworks! Enter Patty Handysides who is one busy lady with a very unusual side job. In addition to her broadcasting career it turns out she is a licenced pyrotechnician and spends several months a year travelling around Ontario setting up and executing freworks displays. She was also just elected President of the Ontario Wine Society – Windsor-Essex. Handysides is a Windsorite who attended Centennial College in Toronto and then moved back to Windsor for a job in the CBC newsroom. Tree years later she moved over to CKLW as a disc jockey, then into the newsroom (she calls it her favourite job). She learned her DJ skills under the legendary Johnny Williams (“Big 8” jock) and co-hosted a morning show with the equally legendary Tom Shannon. Now she Pyrotechnician Patty Handysides recently emceed the is Co-host of “Te Afernoon News” as annual dealer’s display performance at K & H Fireworks, Anchor of AM800 News. 11684 County Road 42, Tecumseh. The event is put But, you might not realize that she on for dealers from across Ontario who make buying decisions based on what new products they see and has been a freworks supervisor and like for the upcoming year. Photo by Rod Denis. pyrotechnician since 1998! Always a fan of freworks she previously by hand and others use electronics. travelled around Windsor Essex for many Her events include the Canada Day years to see shows whenever they were fred. show in Sault Ste. Marie. which is a large At one of the shows she met Victor Anber, barge show in the St. Mary’s River between June 13-15, 2014 owner of K & H Fireworks on County Rd. Canada and the United States, “Te LaSalle 42 in Tecumseh, who asked if she would Strawberry Fest,” “Te Essex Fun Fest,” Te CARROUSEL like to learn the art and come work for him. New Year’s Eve freworks show in Windsor, BY THE RIVER Handysides says “I jumped at the chance.” “Te Kingsville Festival of Lights,” the She took the mandatory federal course “Shores of Erie International Wine world food, world music, and then an apprenticeship to gain a Festival,” “Amherstburg’s River Lights world dance and world art supervisor’s certifcate. Festival,” Tilbury’s Canadian Fireworks She went on to earn a pyrotechnician show, Kingsville Community Church’s Puerto rican virtuoso guitarist, licence, which takes even longer and a great “Celebrate Canada” day and many more. singer and comPoser deal more learning, in order to light of One of her biggest productions is a very pyrotechnics indoors for concerts, sports large fundraising freworks show in the tiny José feliciano events and weddings. town of Tessalon, at the top of the North argentinean award winning “It’s a fun art-form, but a dangerous one Channel (Lake Huron). It’s a homecoming too,” she explains. “Safety is number one weekend and a fundraiser for their hospital. songstress Beatriz Pichi malen when fring a show, no matter how big or Each summer she also helps local canadian-american cree small.” families design their own backyard shows singer-songwriter Buffy sainte-marie Handysides has worked on freworks’ at the K&H warehouse. alexander zonJic and friends shows from Windsor to London to Sault She enjoys it since, “Everyone loves Ste. Marie and Tessalon, Ontario. Tis a freworks show and I love to hear the involves designing the shows, setting them cheers of a happy crowd at the end of up on site and “fring” them. Some are fred every one!” www.carrouselofnations.com BIZ X MAGAZINE • JUNE 2014 25 BizX2014June52.indd 25 2014-05-27 9:43 PM