Fun FAQs & Helpful Hints

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Sure, I know that we just finished celebrating Halloween; and I also realize that we haven't even made it to Thanksgiving, much less Christmas. But if the local stores can start pumping you up for the New Year's Eve, so can I.

Besides, what is the New Year, anyway? It's just an arbitrary day that we've chosen on which we all throw out our old calendars and start over. For the ancient Egyptians, the New Year coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile, around the end of September. The Babylonians celebrated in the springtime.

Because the Islamic, or Hijra, calendar is shorter than ours, the Islamic New Year seems to migrate backwards on our calendar -- this year it was March 15 and in 2003 New Year's should be March 5. Unless you're an accountant you probably don't even know when your state starts it fiscal new year; of course, accountants generally don't pile into Times Square and toss confetti on Fiscal New Year's Eve.

All of which just goes to show that you can throw a New Year's party pretty much any time you wish. And what's a New Year's party without confetti? Boring, that's what! I've already covered single-shot confetti cannons like our Pocket Cannon and Stage Mortar, but sometimes the event calls for an extended shower of confetti. At times like that, our continuous effects come to the rescue.

Nightclubs and bars that do regular confetti drops (usually at Midnight) have become fans of our Confetti Spreader. Able to hold three pounds of confetti in its hopper, the Confetti Spreader can throw confetti out over a dance floor for several minutes. Because it's electrically operated, remote control is as simple as plugging it into an outlet with an on/off switch. In addition to our Traditional Confetti, the Confetti Spreader can also be loaded with Aerosnow to create a snowy scene.

The Confetti Machine and Confetti Volcano have both been very popular with larger clubs, rock & roll tours, and outdoor events. The Confetti Volcano is great for shooting streamers or Turbofetti high above a crowd, and can be easily moved -- even while it's shooting! The Confetti Machine can throw fifteen pounds of confetti per minute, making it one of the largest continuous effects we carry. Both the Confetti Volcano and Confetti Machine can be box-fed, but they still require an operator to make sure that the feeder hoses don't get clogged.

For events that call for a huge confetti shot, the confetti gerb is the professional's choice. You've probably seen a confetti gerb in action, at a concert or sporting event, and not even known it. What makes the Confetti Gerbs so popular is the fact that they can throw a huge amount of confetti (up to 20 lbs.) to great heights (over 100 feet) and don't require any electricity to do so. The gerbs use high-pressure liquid CO2 to propel the confetti, which means that you'll need to find a supplier of CO2 tanks if you plan to use a confetti gerb for your event. Most cities have a gas or welding supplier that rents CO2 tanks, usually at very reasonable prices.

Of course, the confetti cannon you choose -- or, in this case, the spreader, volcano, machine or gerb that you choose -- is only half of the equation. Always remember that your crowd isn't going to see the machine, they'll only see the confetti, so make sure that you choose a confetti that will work in your device, and that creates the best look for your event. As always, you can call or E-mail us to discuss your event in detail and we'll help you to choose the products that are right for you. Until then, Happy New Year!

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Theatre Effects Customer Service Department
service@theatrefx.com
www.theatrefx.com
Theatre Effects, 11707 Chesterdale Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45246
Phone: 1-800-791-7646 or 513-772-7646 Fax: 513-772-3579 *********************************************
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