After some time, PGI board members contacted Mifsud and offered him to showcase traditional Maltese fireworks in Minnesota.

Mifsud joined forced with Aaron Psaila from the St George Fireworks Factory in Qormi and Nicolai Tanti from the St. Catherine Fireworks Factory in Żurrieq to organise the event.

On 15th July, the three hobbyists travelled to Minnesota, where they spent the first two weeks working on their shells and Catherine wheels at a ranch.

“We started by mixing our chemicals to achieve flash powder, coloured stars and gunpowder, pressing drivers for the Catherine wheels and lances,” Mifsud told Lovin Malta.

“We all had a particular job. I was in charge of the Catherine wheels, Aaron took care of the ‘beraq’ shells and Nicholai the coloured shells.”

After two weeks, they moved to the city of Brainerd, where the PGI convention was to be held, and continued creating their fireworks.

People could watch them at work, and a group of Americans helped them out.

During the convention, the Maltese people held three seminars – on mechanical wheels, daytime and nickname multi break shells, and Maltese feast and firework culture, where a documentary by Simon Vella Gregory was played.

On the last day of the convention, they fired off their fireworks to a sold-out event of over 5,000 people.

“This experience was of great interest and a challenge to us as we met new people, and worked in a different environment, with different rules and different chemicals and materials,” Mifsud said.

“It provided great publicity for Malta and Maltese pyrotechnics. The PGI is the largest pyrotechnic organisation in the United States and it was a great honour for us to have been invited to this convention.”

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