Thursday, Jul. 03, 2008

Fireworks: Sizzle Or Fizzle?

Fourth of July fireworks are an American tradition. So why has there been so much emotion over them this year? Some worry about fire safety, others about air quality. In a sinking economy, price also is an issue -- though many nonprofits count on sales to fund their programs.

Buying

Jolynn Wilder, 45, of Modesto said the holiday is just too important to skimp on.

"It's our family tradition," she said Wednesday as she checked prices and availability of fireworks. Her children, Chip, 11, Dean, 9, and Shelby, 6, pressed their hands against the grid on the fireworks stand, peering inside the dim booth.

"Between Christmas, Halloween and the Fourth of July, those are the big holidays in our home," Wilder said. "Go by my house, we have 15 flags and pinwheels set up all over. We try and do it for the kids."

No one was going to tell Bruce Chu, who pulled up to a booth Wednesday in Oakdale in a motor home with a boat in tow, that he couldn't buy fireworks. He and his family were headed to Don Pedro Reservoir for the weekend, and his two young children were excited by the prospect of "shock and awe," he said.

"Telling people not to buy fireworks, that's un-American," said Chu, who lives in San Jose and takes his boat to Don Pedro three or four times a year. "Once a year, we all get to be a kid again. You can't put a price on that. We always come through and buy a package set, then a bunch of sparklers and smoke bombs for the kids to play with.

"I understand the fires, but you can't tell America to forget about the Fourth of July because we've got some idiots who are using illegal fireworks and starting fires."

Kim Abdill, 37, of Modesto stopped by a booth at Coffee Plaza to pick up a few small fireworks Wednesday.

"I have grandkids and stuff," she said. "I think people get carried away with illegal ones. But as long as you're responsible as an adult, it's all right."

Sellers

Amy Simons and Sherry Schlegel were working the Orange Blossom 4-H stand at Yosemite Avenue and F Street in Oakdale, and noted that sales were off from a year ago. Their stand will be open through Friday, and possibly Saturday.

"What the governator said really has hurt sales. Adding to it is that we had our stand and our fireworks already purchased, then he tells people not to buy fireworks," Schlegel said. "The shame is that these are all stamped legal fireworks and these aren't the ones causing the fires."

Orange Blossom has 40 members, and most of the youngsters raise goats and lambs, Simons said. Money from the fireworks stand supports the livestock program and other club activities, so a poor year at the stand means that money will have to come from somewhere else.

"We've also had people tell us they used to buy $300 in fireworks, but because of the economy, they're scaling it back this year," Simons said. "What we've seen a lot of is parents with little kids, and they're buying smaller ones like Piccolo Petes, blossoms, snakes and sparklers, the fireworks they remember from their childhood."

In the three years Martha Van Winkle has sold fireworks to raise money for Pitman High School in Turlock, she's never worked a 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. shift without making a sale. Monday, she worked an eight-hour shift without selling any fireworks.

"It's typically a big fund-raiser, but we're going to have to do something else this year," said Van Winkle, 46, whose booth off Geer and East Tuolumne roads will benefit the high school's band.

Van Winkle and fellow parent Ruth Terry, 46, blame tight budgets and escalating gas costs.