Discovery’s ‘Dirty Jobs’ visits Somerset fireworks maker

By BERNIE HORNICK

ADDISON — “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe was busy trying to filthy up his skin and clothing to live up to the name of his television show.

“And I told him, ‘You don’t need to do that,’ ” recalled Albert Knoblach, owner of fireworks manufacturing company Little Big Shots. Knoblach knows you can get plenty filthy while trying to stay clean in his business.

“It’s a dusty job and the charcoal dust is very fine and goes right through your shirt,” Knoblach said.

“It gets all over you. You can wear protective clothing but you’d have to wash it every day.”

Knoblach last spring showed Rowe the ropes as a fireworks technician for filming of the program. The show featuring Little Big Shots will air for the first time Tuesday.

Knoblach’s “Hollywood” debut has been a long time coming.

He first contacted Discovery about doing a piece on his grimy job about 2 1/2 years ago.

“I came home and was all covered with my work, and surfing around the Net at 2 or 3 a.m. on the Discovery Web site, and posted my job,” Knoblach recalled.

After several false starts, Rowe and the California production crew visited in the spring.

They actually got a two-fer out of it, also filming a segment on the sticky wicket of maple syrup production at Wagner’s Sugar Camp in Salisbury.

Wagner’s says on its Web site that it has been featured on “Dirty Jobs,” though that show is not scheduled for airing in the two weeks ahead.

Rowe has encountered a lot of soot, gore and smells on “Dirty Jobs.” Episodes have featured such positions as:

• Roadkill collector. The work entails picking up critters of various sizes and breed in various states of decay – all the while dodging oncoming traffic.

• Catfish noodler: This job requires the person to snatch catfish of up to 100 pounds with one’s hands only. Occupational risks include getting bitten while sticking your arm in holes in search of game.

• Diaper cleaner. Speaks for itself.

Knoblach became interested in his own dirty field at a young age.

“I liked fireworks, you know, but you could never get them because we lived in Pennsylvania,” he said. “I was somewhat deprived as a child growing up in Confluence and that’s why I’m into it now.”

While studying industrial robotics in college, he happened to pick up a book on fireworks and – boom! – his interest was re-ignited.

“It started out as a hobby,” the pyrotechnics expert said.

But the word spread. He got more business, then insurance. So the company had to get even bigger. “It’s a snowball thing,” he said.

The company was incorporated in 1989.

Little Big Shots has made tons of fireworks – from star bursts to the flash-bang noisemakers and everything in between.

The company has two steady part-timers who assist in assembling the pyrotechnics.

Little Big Shots can call on another 15 or 20 guys to shoot off displays.

Knoblach has all his fingers and toes: Nothing lost during an accidental explosion.

“If something like that happened, I wouldn’t be here at all,” he said matter-of-factly. “You’re not dealing with an ounce; you’re dealing with pounds.

“A police officer has a far more dangerous job because at least I’m in control of my destiny. Or a truck driver – and a drunk driver pulls out in front of you.”

As far as the TV filming goes, he said Rowe got “plenty dirty. He liked it.”

Knoblach himself tries to alternate his work between grimy days and his more clean days.

His payment for showing Rowe around?

A DVD of the program along with what he calls “free advertising.”

Knoblach is scouting around for a place to watch “Dirty Jobs” on Tuesday. He doesn’t get the Discovery Channel in his cable TV lineup.



Criminy, it’s grimy

Discovery TV host Mike Rowe this spring visited fireworks maker Little Big Shots in Addison to film a segment of his show “Dirty Jobs.” The show will air at the following times on Discovery:



• 9 p.m. Tuesday.

• Midnight Tuesday.

• 8 p.m. Dec. 22.

• 11 p.m. Dec. 22

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