Local fireworks providers offer advice on merchandise, safety

With the Fourth of July holiday less than a week away, fireworks tents have begun to pop up around southeast Iowa.

In Washington, Bellino Fireworks has put up a stand on the Washington County Fairgrounds, across from the Hy-Vee parking lot. They opened shop Sunday, June 23, and will be there from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. daily until Sunday, July 7.

On Wednesday, June 26, Liz Graber rolled up the sides of the tent to let the breeze in as customers slowly trickled in. She said mortars, cones and fountains are in demand this year as people are looking to get the biggest and loudest fireworks possible.

'It's kind of exciting because with the big fireworks, we were told when we started that we now have the same grams as Missouri, so now people don't even have to go to Missouri, they can get the same fireworks here,” she said.

For those with small kids at home, Graber said she would recommend poppers, snakes or smoke bombs. Daniel Ruth, who was working at the Bellino Fireworks stand in the Hy-Vee parking lot in Mt. Pleasant on Tuesday, June 25, agreed.

As of Tuesday, there were 15 different 'buy one get three free” items, which Ruth said were the best-selling items from novelty items like a sparkler sword to cakes with 500 grams of fun powder. Ruth said Bellino Fireworks has the best of both worlds with products that create a loud 'bang” and others that give off a lot of color.

'And the price is right,” he said.

This is Ruth's first summer working at the Bellino Fireworks stand, which opened Friday, June 21, and remains open through the Fourth of July. They are open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

For those looking to get into a more intermediate level, Graber suggests bottle rockets, which she says have been in high demand this year. Before launching any fireworks, however, Ruth stresses safety first.

His advice for buyers is to always be aware of what's around of any product they light off.

'Make sure you're far enough away from houses and vehicles. Be aware of the animals affected a lot by fireworks. Use your head. They're not meant to be shot at other people,” Ruth said.

He also suggested making sure the fireworks are set up on a flat, stable piece of ground in a large, open space.

'With Independence Day, it's fun to go blow stuff up, but it's really meant to be a celebration of this country and our independence,” Ruth said. 'I love our freedom, and I like to see people have a good time and not get hurt.”

Jordan Van Blaricom, who manages the Bellino Fireworks stall in Fairfield, is also in his first year of selling fireworks. His tent opened June 21, and he expects sales to take off this coming weekend. He mentioned that the products selling well thus far include the '1776,” a box that fires eight 200-gram fireworks in succession, and the 'Mount Rushmore,” which fires seven 200-gram fireworks.

'I enjoy fireworks, and I prefer the bigger ones because I love the loud boom and colorfulness of them,” Van Blaricom said.

Van Blaricom is missing a hand, so he shows it to customers to warn them of what can happen if they hold onto a lighted firework (though that is not why he is missing a hand). He mentioned there are devices called 'punks” that are similar to incense sticks that allow a person to light a firework from a safer distance.

'I'd hate to hear of an accident from a firework,” he said.

The city of Fairfield sports four fireworks stalls this year, down from six last year. Monty Congdon, the co-owner of the fireworks tent Phoenix Fireworks, said it's too soon to tell if sales will be higher or lower than last year. He estimated that 70-80 percent of sales occur within the seven days leading up to Independence Day.

Congdon has sold fireworks all three years that it has been legal in Iowa, ever since the Legislature changed the law in May 2017.

'The first year was like the Wild West,” he said. 'It was a new frontier. Everyone was rushing to get in.”

In response to the huge, pent-up demand, Congdon doubled the size of his fireworks tent in 2018. He was not alone, as several big companies set up their own tents in town. The number of vendors doubled from three the first year to six the second.

'There was a lot of competition that second year. The market was oversaturated, way too many sellers,” he remarked.

Since then, the number of fireworks permits has gone down across the state. Iowa State Fire Marshal Dan Wood reported that the number of fireworks permits issued the first year was 664. That rose to 791 the second year, but so far in 2019, the state has registered only 612 vendors, a decline of 23 percent.

Wood said vendors must present a blueprint of the inside of their stall, and describe the buildings that surround it. They must also submit proof of insurance. Once that's done, they receive a temporary license, and then an on-site inspection from the state fire marshal's office to certify that the vendor's blueprint is accurate.

Congdon remarked that new regulations from counties and municipalities have played some role in reducing fireworks sales. As an example, Fairfield City Council allowed fireworks to be discharged from June 30 to July 8 the first year they were legal, but reduced that to just two days, July 3-4, after receiving complaints from residents.

'That definitely affected the market,” Congdon said.

Grace King and Andy Hallman contributed to this story.