NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Getting closer to the 4th of July, a lot of people are already celebrating America's 250th in ways both big and small.
I dropped in on a club as they made cherry bombs. Well, not real cherry bombs. They were miniatures made from clay and string to go in a teeny tiny 4th of July fireworks display.
"We have DuPont Danger explosive boxes!" said club member Sonja Floyd, holding up a tiny box.
None of the tiny fireworks explode. It's all part of a miniature building club that call themselves the Music City Minis.
"Making a little 4th of July display using some fiber optics!" said Dori-Lynn Coburn.
"You don't have to have a real skill to do this," Floyd continued.
They meet at Miniature Cottage in Berry Hill. If you've ever been in the shop, what's interesting is just how specific the tiny pieces are. You perhaps wouldn't expect to find a miniature July 1986 copy of Majesty magazine. Yet, there it is, and there's a tiny shopping bag to put it in.
Heather Asbell helped to launch the club for people wanting to make minis.
"We were looking for a place to grow and find other people interested in the same things," she said. "We gathered some of our friends we knew had been at the Miniature Cottage and let them be part of it as well."
"We're learning from other people how they've done things," said Coburn.
In past months, they've made things like tiny, intricately detailed Valentine's candies.
"They taught us to use resin to make little chocolates," Coburn continued.
They also use foam, beads, a lot of things to create the minis.
"The scale works at one inch equals a foot," said Coburn.
"Oh, I don't do public math," Floyd laughed. "That means you divide something by something and it comes out wrong, everyone's going to be yelling 'That's wrong!' This is why we have handheld computers!"
The crew passed me a miniature of a Corona bottle. It was significantly smaller than a dime.
The beauty of the club varies per person. For Coburn, it's nostalgia.
"When I was about five, my dad built a dollhouse for me," she remembered.
For Floyd, it's living out what she wanted to do as a kid.
"The years that we grew up, there wasn't a whole lot of money," she said.
For Asbell, it's this.
"People are so secluded in their homes, especially post-COVID," she explained. "It's really nice to see people come together for a shared interest that really was a lost art for a while."
A tiny scene built by the club showcased a gazebo surrounded with boxes of fireworks, popcorn, a cake, and red, white, and blue streamers. The tiny scene recalls memories of hot summers and the 4th of July.
For more on the Music City Minis club, visit here.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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