Band parents hoping fireworks sales a boom

The Glenwood Band Parents are hoping to see a similar explosion in fireworks sales revenues this year as they did last year.
With many large firework shows extinguished because of COVID-19 restrictions last summer, the band parents saw revenue from the sale of fireworks at two Locust Street locations jump 15 to 20 percent over the previous year, said Glenwood Community High School Band Director Dave Clark.

“There weren’t any big shows to go last year so everybody was trying to do their own little shows at home,” Clark said.

This is the third year the Glenwood Band Parents organization, which supports the Glenwood Community School District’s instrumental band program, has partnered with Firehouse Fireworks and owner Eric Mauer, to sell fireworks. Mauer is an Omaha firefighter when not selling fireworks as a side gig for a month every summer.

While helping to stock, operate and staff its two tents in Glenwood – located at the Flat Iron Laundry parking lot and the shopping plaza on the south end of town in front of the Newman’s Thriftway and former Shopko Hometown stores – the band group collects a percentage of all sales from June 25 through July 4.

The Shopko parking lot location is currently open while the Flat Iron spot will not open until June 25.

Clark worked with a previous firework supply partner and didn’t have nearly the positive experience the group has had with Mauer.

The band parents group was connected with Mauer through Ryan Sell, who leases the properties to Mauer.

“Eric is a really nice guy. He’s a fireman and works really well with the kids and making sure they have everything they need,” Clark said. “He’s been awesome to work with.”

Fireworks sales is the band’s primary fundraiser. According to Clark, the district gives his department $3,000 budget annually to operate its 150-piece high school band. Funds raised by fireworks sales go entirely to supplement that budget. He estimates they’ve made approximately $25,000 from the sale of fireworks sales over the last three years.

“This is best fundraiser I’ve been a part of,” Clark said. “It makes my budget for the year.”

Clark uses those funds to purchase everything from new music and instruments to pay for registration fees and camps. The band parents also help out with fundraisers of their own to help offset costs.

“This is our one big fundraiser that the band does where all the money goes to the band,” Clark said. “This investment basically funds marching band season.”

This year, the funds will be divided among the regular band budget and for the 50 Glenwood band members who qualified for the Southwest Iowa Honor Marching Band that will travel to San Diego in December to perform at the Holiday Bowl. Those band members will have the opportunity to earn money for their travel accounts working at the tents to help cover travel expenses for the trip.

“We don’t usually have much trouble getting people to come out and help,” Clark said. “We always have a lot of kids and a lot of help.”

Rebecca Griffin, treasurer for the Glenwood Band Parents, coordinates staffing at the tents – of both band students and parents with.

A parent is required to be on the premises 24 hours a day for safety and security reasons. Five to 10 students work at any one time in the tents.

Griffin uses website signupgenius.com to help schedule workers.

“We have great help,” she said. “We have people cover whatever we need. The parents are great. They know the kids can’t do it on their own so they’re a great help.”

Between this and concession stand sales throughout the year, the fireworks stands give the band a great opportunity to raise funds in a short period of time.

“This gives us about 10 days to raise quite a bit of funds,” Griffin said. “It’s a big one for us.”

The work can be grueling and the weather sometimes brutally hot, but Clark rarely has trouble getting students to show up and seize the opportunity to help the band and themselves.

“They unbox everything, tape the fuses and the fire marshal’s are pretty strict so they have to make sure they’re doing everything by the book,” Clark said. “They run the cash register. They’re trained on salesmanship with some videos on the fireworks so they can tell the customers what they’re buying. It’s really great skills for the kids.”

The response from the community has been great, Clark said. Many parents have told him they hold off buying their fireworks until they can buy them from the band group.

“I think the relationship this community has with the band helps a ton,” he said. “Eric (Mauer) understands we have a great community of support. Rather than buying fireworks in Council Bluffs or buying someplace else, they stop at our tents and they know some of that money is going directly to the band. It’s been great. The community has been super supportive and we’ve really appreciated it.”