Boomsday is a daylong annual celebration on the first Monday of September, observed nationally as Labor Day. It takes place on the waterfront in downtown Knoxville. All kinds of carnival-style events take place throughout the day.  blow off in 20-odd minutes about four tons of fireworks that take almost 4 hours to set up on Knoxville's longest bridge across the Tennessee River.  More than 60 miles of wire are used to connect the computers that produce more than 12,000 pyrotechnic effects. The musical accompaniment broadcast by a local FM station (104.5 on your dial) is a nice throw-in.

Think about it: 12.000 explosions in about 20 minutes works out to 20 minutes of a sky filled with fire at a rate that will render most people slack-jawed. The fireworks, some of which you will never see anywhere else, are so spectacular for so long that you could discover a whole new capacity for staring without breathing. The display begins with what most local exhibits would die for as a grand finale and just keeps getting better until it reaches a climax that assaults the senses of  viewers half a mile away. The crowd that attends this event could be estimated between 300,000 and 350,000.

Boomsday activities start at 1 pm at Volunteer Landing with food from 30 vendors, exhibits, rides, and amusement games.

Knoxville is located 30 miles north of the Great Smoky Mountains.