UNITED STATES – As the nation prepares for a holiday weekend rife with summer fruit, face-painting, cool drinks, and backyard barbeques, authorities are looking to ensure that people stay safe as they celebrate the Fourth of July. 

To put a sugary spin on the very real dangers of explosives and fireworks this holiday season, authorities in several states are using fruit as the metaphorical vehicles of the dangers that explosives can cause to humans.

"We want to reiterate the importance of firework safety," said Detroit Fire Department Captain Chris Dixon, according to MLive. "Fireworks in the past didn't go boom, bang, pow in the air. But now, fireworks that go boom, bang, pow and are very powerful- are what they're selling at the tents." 

Detroit’s Fire Department chose to send splatters of watermelon all over the city streets in a demonstration of the power of mortar firework, as you can see in the above video. 

Authorities in Tampa, FL, wanted its residents to pay close attention to the flashy power of fireworks particularly when children are present, according to Fox13News. The starring commodity in this video? A cantaloupe, magnificently shattered in mid-air. Get your fill of detonated fruit below.

While fireworks should definitely be used carefully and responsibly this holiday season, especially given the recent droughts on the West Coast, it’s also fun to get a dose of exploding fruit with your needed cautionary tales. 

So (safely) let your fruit blast its way into an iced tea or sangria this weekend, and have yourself a great Fourth of July from everyone here at AndNowUKnow.