Area firework retailers and experts have a simple message for shoppers as the Fourth of July approaches.
“The big thing is, buy early,” said Tim Thurber, a former Seward resident who now works as account manager for Columbia, Missouri-based, fireworks wholesaler Spirit of '76.
He said the pandemic last year, along with all-time high firework sales and continued complications with shipping, depleted the supply available for at least this year.
“Everyone had stimulus checks last year and demand was really high. Retailers had their best year in 30 to 40 years and everyone cleaned out the shelves,” he said, adding that a port in San Diego where supply is received was severely impacted by positive COVID cases. “Where COVID comes in, the time to get product from China normally took 28 days to get to the warehouse but this year we saw transit times at 60 days at one point. On a normal year, we get stuff leaving China in mid-May and it makes it here in a good amount of time but this year, stuff moving after May 1 was delayed.”
“More stores will run out of product of July 3 and 4. Get to those stands early and don't wait around.”
Thurber said the situation is slowly improving but could affect product for years to come.
“It's going to take both time and a mid-week Fourth of July,” he said. “Next year, it will still be on a Monday. We need time and a year where the demand is a little less, so we won't even see it next year.”
Sales in Milford were allowed to start on June 24. In Milford, fireworks cannot be thrown from a motor vehicle, onto a street or highway, near people, into a building or in any of the municipal parks.
Fireworks can be discharged from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. from June 24 through July 3, 8 a.m. to midnight on July 4 and from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 5.
Tyson Horn, operator of the Ka-Boomers locations in Seward, said he anticipated his stores to have a full offering of items, albeit maybe fewer of each than normal. He said he didn't think the shipping issues impacted his business but knows others who are dealing with shortages.
“I am confident, from what I've been told, that we won't be affected,” he said. “We may be a little bit shorter on certain products...but some other vendors are short. I know some vendors are not even going to do anything this year.”
The Rev. Curt Coddington, who coordinates Seward's Fourth of July fireworks display, said that the shipping issues won't impact the show itself, but the situation caused the organizers to find a new distributor.
“Because of all the other shows cancelling last year, that impacted distributors greatly,” he said. “Our distributor quit selling in Nebraska because they didn't have any customers left.
“From my perspective, the availability of product is not the issue, the issue is the financial stability.”
Coddington said the committee was able to find a new distributor in J&M Displays out of Yarmouth, Iowa, and anticipates a show similar to other years with some surprises – to himself and guests – mixed in.
“We have some interesting features of things that I know about and some that I won't know about until we get the product,” he said.
Sales-wise, vendors aren't sure how this year will compare to last. The lack of public shows led to private parties, which meant fireworks were in high demand. Horn said he anticipates a good year again as people may have found new traditions amid COVID.
“I really feel like this year will be similar,” he said. “I feel like people enjoyed their smaller family gatherings that they had.”
Thurber said he expects slightly lower sales because of festivals returning and the issue with the product pipeline.
“You're going to have instances where people start new traditions but you definitely will have people gravitating back to displays,” he said. “This year won't be as crazy compared to this year.”
Record sales or not, vendors and show runners are excited to once again be the source of entertainment for audiences of all ages.
“Waiting to open the doors of our truck is the same anticipating as Christmas morning,” said Thurber.
“This is what we love to do and to be able to do what we love again is a big deal,” added Coddington. “It's go time.”
