Not only do they last longer, but they have been re-designed for safety purposes. "Unlike the traditional silver ones attached to metal, these have colorful pink bamboo sticks. They burn down to a blunt attached to the end of the stick which keeps it from burning any further," she said.
Gloria knows fireworks
Gloria knows fireworks. A native of Danville, she has traveled back home from Nicholasville for 30 years to sell fireworks. Her family owned business is also run by her three young children and a niece. Ask the Weigle kids any questions about any firework product they sell, and they will have an answer.
"My kids know every single product. We experiment with them before we sell them," Gloria said. She advises buyers of any fireworks products to check the weight volume.
"Even though a package looks bigger, it doesn't mean it is a better product or quality," she said. Her daughter, Hannah, 15, demonstrates by holding up two different products and tipping them as if on a scale. "Compare prices, stay with honest people and don't go for the gimmicks," Gloria says.
Gloria also is staffed with deaf employees to better serve the deaf community, thanks to the efforts of Norman Walker, who died in October. "It was hard opening without him this year. He showed up every day and had been with me for 17 years. Customers loved him." On staff this year is deaf interpreter Trista Callihan, who the Weigle family met through Walker.
Fireworks can also be purchased in the Wal-Mart parking lot at a stand owned by TNT Fireworks. It is operated by the Cornerstone Assembly of God church youth group as a fundraiser for missionary trips. The youth group has 20 volunteers who come every day and sometimes spend the night to raise money for their church. Twenty percent of the profits go to the church.
"We come close to selling out every year," Pam Lane said. The most requested product that parents ask for are the "Snap Wackers," one youth member said. As far as safety goes, TNT provides a video that is played while customers browse. However, Lane and youth members advise customers to read the labels.
Read the instructions
Those who attend the fireworks displays or celebrate at home are warned to use pre-cautions and to read the instructions on the labels.
Ken Pflug, Danville fire marshal, said all the local retail outlets have met and exceeded safety requirements for the state of Kentucky, and stresses the importance of general safety guidelines and purchase information:
"We started a preparing a month ago getting the information out. We have inspected vendors and retail stores to make sure they all had the right kind of fireworks. We will be busy with calls up to show time."
Locally, Pflug said the festivities at the Boyle County fairgrounds will be launching at dusk. Parking will be at Millennium Park due to very limited parking space at the fairgrounds. Pets and personal fireworks are to be left at home because of the crowds, he said.
Dry weather will have an effect
The recent dry weather will have an effect on the festivities. "If we don't get any rain, that will be an issue of wetting the grass down because it is so dry," Pflug said. He also recommends residents spray their own yards before celebrating at home and to keep a hose running for emergencies.
Kentucky law states that individuals are permitted to purchase ground and hand held sparkling devices, dipped stick, sparkler, cylindrical and cone fountain, illuminating torch, wheel, ground spinner, flitter sparkler, smoke, novelties, and trick noisemakers.
Prohibited are fireworks that have as part of a device any wings, fins, or other mechanism designed to cause the device to fly, or those that carry a cautionary label which includes in its description any of the following terms: explosive, emits flaming pellets, flaming balls, firecracker, report, or rocket.
You must be over 16 years of age to purchase.
