FIREWORK SEASON ARRIVES, STANDS BUSY

With the Fourth of July holiday approaching, fireworks stands are popping up all over the Cape Girardeau area.

"We've only been open since Wednesday," said Angela Hale, employee of the Kinder's Fireworks stand in front of Schnucks on Kingshighway. "But so far, business has been pretty good."

The city of Cape Girardeau issued 12 licenses for fireworks sales this year, about the usual amount.

Jennifer Cecich, employee of Big River Rockets, located in the Albertson's parking lot, said that in the two days the stand has been open, it's been busy.

"Our big sellers are typically the kids' items," she said. "Novelty things, sparklers, things like that. Parents want something that's safe for their kids."

Cecich said that it's usually difficult to predict which items will be the highest sellers because people have their favorites.

"Some people may buy 20 of one thing, and someone else may not buy any," she said. "I had a woman once who came in here and bought every Friendship Pagoda we had. No one else sold them, and she bought them all from us."

Crossing the river

With Cape Girardeau being right by the river, many Illinoisans wishing to purchase fireworks come here. In Illinois, it is forbidden to sell explosive fireworks.

"There are a lot of Illinois customers in Cape Girardeau," Cecich said. "I would say about one-third of our customers so far have been Illinois people."

Cory Elfrink, an employee at Hoffman's Family Fireworks, located on William Street outside of West Park Mall, said their best sellers have been Black Cat Fireworks, a distributor known for its variety of fireworks.

Hoffman's employee Andrew Christensen said that children's fireworks have also been popular sellers at their stands. "We have a lot of moms coming in here with their kids buying stuff for them," he said. "They buy sparklers and snaps and smoke bombs, things like that that they know are safe for the kids."

Christensen said he doesn't think the competition of fireworks stands in Cape Girardeau hurts their business at all. "We've got a really good location here outside of the mall," he said. "There's more popping up every year it used to be that the one at Schnuck's [Kinder's] was the big one, but now there's a lot of competition.

"I think we do better because we're the only one out here and we're cheaper than the competition. People want to go where there's everything."

No bottle rockets in city

But those wishing to buy bottle rockets are going to have to do so outside of the city limits this year. A new ordinance prohibits selling bottle rockets in the city of Cape Girardeau. Some stands, however, are getting around this by sending customers who wish to purchase bottle rockets to their stands outside of the city limits.

"Customers who want to buy them are simply going to our stand in Jackson or our one outside the city limits on Route K," Hale said. Kinder's has five stands, located in front of Schnucks, in front of Wal-Mart, on Route K, at the old Wal-Mart site in Jackson, Mo., and in Poplar Bluff, Mo., Hale said.

But Big River Rockets simply chose not to buy any bottle rockets this year, said Cecich.

Cecich also said that they expect sales of their novelty items, some of which aren't offered at any other stands in the area, to replace the sales of bottle rockets.

Kerry Johnson, owner of Big River Rockets, agreed. "We have some new products in almost every category right now," Johnson said. "Some of them, I don't even know what they do, they're that new."

Hale said she expects sales to really pick up around the July 1 weekend.

Cecich, who is from Oskosh, Wis., has been here during the fireworks season for three years helping out Johnson, her brother-in-law. "When I got here from Wisconsin, where there are some strict fireworks laws, I was shocked at how popular they are around here," she said. "It's a whole new culture."

Hours for lighting fireworks:

In Cape Girardeau, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. June 20-July 3 and 10 a.m.-midnight July 4. Bottle rockets are prohibited as of last year.

In Jackson, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. June 20-July 3 and 8 a.m.-midnight July 4.

In Scott City, 6-9 p.m. June 24-July 3 and 8 a.m.-midnight July 4.

In Illinois, exploding fireworks are illegal. Governmental bodies can have organized displays.

Firework safety

A majority of injuries from family-type fireworks involve misuse rather than malfunction. The National Council on Fireworks Safety recommends the following precautions when using fireworks:

* Always read and follow label directions

* Have an adult present

* Buy from reliable fireworks sellers

* Ignite outdoors

* Have water handy

* Never experiment or attempt to make your own fireworks

* Light one at a time

* Never reignite malfunctioning fireworks

* Never give to small children

* Store in a cool, dry place

* Dispose of properly

* Never throw fireworks at another person

* Never carry fireworks in your pocket

* Never shoot fireworks in a metal or glass container

- Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission