News : 'Life Master:' Area fireworks maker Anderson wins top honor at PGI Convention

Scott Anderson is again the PGI Grand Master, winning the top honor at Indiana convention.

Scott Anderson received his first Grand Master trophy in Mason City in 2014.

For the third year in a row, the Pyrotechnics Guild International judges have chosen Scott Anderson of rural Brandon as their Grand Master, honoring him with the top trophy as the "competitor who has best demonstrated an overall excellence with pyrotechnic device invention, implementation, and display for the current year."

Anderson, one of the Iowa Pyrotechnic Association (IPA) members who works on the Boomtown displays, won that title by creating a variety of firework displays which were judged to be among the best at the PGI convention in Indiana last week.

By winning three "Grand Master" titles, Anderson becomes only the fifth person in PGI history to earn the "Life Master" status. Once a competitor has won Grand Master three times, that person becomes Life Master. A Life Master is no longer eligible for Grand Mas­ter but may still compete as previously.

Anderson builds his own firework shells, creating ground-level displays, a variety of shells, rockets and Roman candles, as well as aerial level fireworks.

Many of the displays during Boomtown are made by Anderson and other IPA members, many of whom have won trophies for their fireworks at PGI conventions. One of the local IPA members who also earned a first place award at the 2016 convention is Chuck Yedlik, owner of Bar-Y Pyros.