Legalized fireworks a learning experience for buyers, sellers

Iowa’s first year of fireworks sales in nearly 80 years is in the books - almost.

Legally, fireworks can be sold in the state through Saturday, July 8, but the majority of temporary retail stands are expected to be taken down today.

Fireworks were sold from three locations in Glenwood - locally-owned Night Vision Fireworks’ stand in the Perk Plaza, a Ka-Boomers stand on the Evans Equipment Co. lot and a Wild Willy’s stand operated by the Campus Life Christian youth group on the lot south of Flat Iron Laundry.

Both workers and customers at Glenwood’s three stands said the first year of legalized fireworks sales in Iowa has been a learning experience. Customers, some who were purchasing fireworks for the first time ever, were trying to educate themselves about the various types of aerials, artillery shells, rockets and firecrackers available.

Browsing inside the Campus Life tent, Dan Hardcastle was using an app on his phone that allows customers to scan a UPC bar code from the package to see what each individual explosive will do.

“I don’t know what all these different fireworks do,” Hardcastle said. “I can scan the UPC code and it shows me.”

Workers at each of the retail tents had to educate themselves, as well.

Alex Newby, director of Campus Life in the Glenwood area, said he wanted the organization to get involved as soon as he learned the Iowa Legislature had approved fireworks sales, but admits it’s been a learning experience.

“I’ve kind of been following it over the past couple years and when I saw it was going through, I contacted Wild Willy’s, who has worked with Campus Life in the Omaha area,” Newby said. “I’ve never done anything like this, so I’m learning as we go.”

Newby said Glenwood’s Campus Life, which has sponsored activities and programs for nearly 200 middle school and high school-aged children since forming last summer, will receive 15 percent of the proceeds from its fireworks sales. The funds raised will be earmarked for scholarships to help send children to a Youth For Christ camp in Ogden later this summer and to offset costs for other Campus Life special events, such as a block party planned for Aug. 27.

At the Ka-Boomers stand, manager Trevan Hetzel and his family were also selling fireworks for the first time.

“I’m still no expert on all this stuff,” Hetzel said.

The Ka-Boomers stand opened June 25.

“Sunday, our first day, was a busy day,” Hetzel said. “The first part of the week, we were selling a lot of the little stuff (tanks, smoke bombs, zippers), but by the end of the week they were buying the big stuff.”

Prices for the fireworks at the Glenwood stands ranged from less than $1 for smaller items like crawling black snakes and individual Roman candles to the $150 range for large artillery shells and 500 gram cakes - filled with tubes shooting out a variety of colorful aerials.

A recently-passed ordinance allows fireworks to be shot within the Glenwood city limits from July 1-5, but since local  sales began the weekend of June 24-25, the Glenwood Police Department has received nightly complaints about  fireworks being shot  in residential neighborhoods well into the nighttime hours.

“We’ve had quite a few complaints,” police chief Eric Johansen said. “But, it’s about average from previous years. We’ve been giving a lot of warnings.”