It’s no secret that if Colorado folks want to put some “blow stuff up” into their Fourth of July revelry, they’ve got to cross the state line into Wyoming.
Comedian Taylor Calmus of Fort Collins, Colorado, knows that all to well. He plays up on it in a video he created for his 700,000 followers on his “Dude Dad” YouTube Channel.
Calmus, a familiar figure on late-night TV with many regular appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and other TV shows and commercials, has traveled to the Cowboy State to enjoy some genuine pyrotechnics. But he emphasized that he didn’t take them back across the state line into Colorado. That would be illegal.
“I’ve enjoyed Wyoming fireworks, in a safe, and legal place,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
South Dakota Also Fireworks-Friendly
Calmus and his family moved to Fort Collins about four years ago after spending a decade in Los Angeles. He was born and raised in South Dakota, which has permissive fireworks regulations similar to Wyoming’s.
“We’ve got the same enormous fireworks warehouses along the highways in South Dakota,” he said.
So, it was a culture shock to find out that Colorado’s fireworks regulations are incredibly restrictive. Little besides mild sparklers and weak snap-pops are legal in the Centennial State.
With the Dude Dad channel doing well enough to become a full-time gig, he decided to make and publish a video playing up on the differences between fireworks in Wyoming and Colorado.
The video made its debut last summer, and was well received. And it’s bounced back up to the top of his playlists again this year.
‘Cody, Cheyenne – Roman Candle Fight!’
In the video, Calmus compares the stereotypical cultural contrasts between Colorado and Wyoming.
The video opens on the Colorado side, with him dressed like a Birkenstock-wearing suburban dad. He tosses a snap-pop on to his driveway and reacts with a cheesy “wow.”
Then it switches to the Wyoming perspective. There, he’s decked out in garish red-white-and-blue gear, including star-spangled shorts and a cowboy hat.
As fireworks effects flash and explode around him, he roars “USA!”
He also uses names of communities in both states.
At one point he yells, “Cody, Cheyenne – roman candle fight! Let’s go!”
Toward the end of the video, the Colorado dad version admonishes a child, “Brecken,” (short for Breckenridge) to not ignite fireworks on the open ground out of respect for the forest and animals.
Switching back to his Wyoming character, he yells at Casper to “bring some more M-80s” to blow up an anthill.
Wyoming’s Open Spaces Better For Fireworks
Calmus said he appreciates Wyoming’s culture and attitude, and loves traveling here, even though his family is “pretty much settled” in Fort Collins.
And he understands why Colorado is more restrictive about fireworks.
“The video has done really well, and most people reacting to it love the idea of Wyoming fireworks. And there are some people who are more realistic and bring up the risk for forest fires,” he said.
That’s a legitimate concern in Colorado, he said.
“We’re extremely dry and we’re highly populated. That’s just a recipe for disaster if we let people have all the fireworks they wanted. In Wyoming, you’ve got way fewer people and lots of wide-open spaces where they can safely enjoy fireworks,” Calmus said.
As for the age-old rivalry between Colorado and Wyoming, Calmus said he plans on making more videos centered around that theme. But he wouldn’t tip his hand regarding what they might entail.
“I’ve got some other ideas, so you’ll just have to keep watching the channel and see,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
