Renne Carter, 41, of Portland made the trip across the Columbia River to buy fireworks at the TNT Fireworks booth in 2010. Fireworks go on sale again Thursday.Photo Gallery
Plywood booth windows were propped open and canvas tent doors were unzipped Monday for the first day of fireworks sales.
Dozens of stands across the county are offering hundreds of things that go “boom,” “bang” and “pop,” all leading up to this weekend’s Fourth of July holiday.
There’s the small stuff, like pop-its, sparklers, ground blooms and smoke balls. The bigger stuff, like Roman candles, festival balls and artillery shells. And then there’s the humongous stuff, like the Pyro Event, which blasts 21 shots into the air and boasts the “maximum powder allowed by law,” and the Maximum Charge, which fires off 33 shots of “silvery glitterings.”
Opening day at the TNT Fireworks stand at Southeast Chkalov Drive and Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard started with a bang. Within 10 minutes of opening the 40-by-40-foot tent for business, owner Steve Lucas sold the stand’s biggest item. The Spectacular Show package includes six, 24-shot cakes (a square device with multiple aerial fireworks ignited by one fuse), dozens of artillery shells and festival balls, numerous fountains and other favorites, all for $549.99.
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Derek Marshall, 35, and his fiancée, Shianne Wright, 27, checked out The Spectacular Show package as well, but left the stand empty-handed — for now. The Vancouver couple said their household spent $600 to $700 on fireworks last summer.
“It’s the Fourth of July. It’s the birth of our nation. It’s the best day to celebrate,” Marshall said. “I’d celebrate it every day of the year if I could.”
Wright has her eyes peeled for her favorite firework the pair purchased last year: the Shagadellic Mojo. So far this year, she’s had trouble finding what she describes as a “big, multicolored block of awesomeness.”
For the last seven years, the couple has purchased fireworks together and held their own show at home, putting on a display for all of the neighbors.
“If they’re not lighting something off, they’re pulling up a chair,” Marshall said.
Steve Lucas and his wife, Nancy, live in Napavine but have owned the Vancouver fireworks stand, along with two others in the city, for the last 24 years. After 20 years, Steve Lucas had the TNT logo — yellow and black letters with a red star burst backdrop — tattooed on his right shoulder.
Anytime opening day falls on a weekday, sales are a little slow, Nancy Lucas said. But the couple is optimistic about this year. The economy seems better than last year and the weather is warm; both factors point to improved sales after a two-year dip, they said.
“I think they’ll come, and they’ll come in groves,” Steve Lucas said.
July 3rd and 4th are usually the busiest days for fireworks sales. But by then, the Lucases said their selection is getting slim.
Vancouver resident Becky Kalhar, 26, shopped at the stand on opening day, purchasing fireworks for the first time. In past years, her dad bought the fireworks. But this year, Kalhar plans to visit her parents’ home in Pacific City, Ore., bearing gifts.
“I’m going to bring the enjoyment,” Kalhar said.
Kalhar brought along her friend, Verity Wallis, a seasoned fireworks shopper, for advice. She recommended anything loud and shiny.
“It’s one of my favorite times of the year,” Wallis said.
