GIANT FIREWORKS DISPLAY Tim Harris, above owner of Truckload Fireworks, test new fireworks from China that are capable of producing an event-sized display. A group of volunteers, below, from the Mid-Cities group unloads fireworks from a truck inot their stand in front of the church Thursday evening. Fireworks can be sold legally starting today.
MRT Correspondent
Americans love fireworks. "It's kind of like baseball and mom's apple pie; it's an American tradition," said Roger Fox, the supervisor for Truckload Fireworks. "It kind of makes people happy."
Beginning today, vendors can sell fireworks until July 4 at midnight. The Permian Basin has three main companies that sell fireworks -- Truckload Fireworks, Mr. W Fireworks and TNT Fireworks.
In Texas, vendors are allowed to sell fireworks twice a year, from June 24 until July 4 and Dec. 20 through Jan. 1. Every state has different laws, meaning some states allow the sale of fireworks throughout the year or only a few times during the year, such as in New Mexico (four times each year).
"Sparklers, fire crackers and roman candles -- those are the staples," Fox said. "Nine out of 10 people -- they always start with firecrackers."
The newer 500-gram fireworks are most popular, which "shoot up very high, have multiple colors and are very pretty," he added.
Kera Roberson, the office manager at Mr. W's, based in Somerset, said the favorite firework is the Super Bomb, which costs $17.50.
A little more than two years ago, the federal law changed to allow consumers in America to purchase and use fireworks of 500-gram magnitude, said Jim Harris, the owner of Truckload Fireworks, Inc. Previously, amateurs could only use fireworks up to 200 grams, even though other nations have always allowed the larger fireworks.
The change of law, Harris explained, means new fireworks are actually safer than the previous 200-gram fireworks. They virtually eliminate the chance of starting a fire because they are much larger and more powerful. They shoot 250-300 feet in the air, where as the old ones shot only 100 feet. Because they go so high, the fireworks burn out long before any sparks can reach the ground, helping to eliminate the danger for fire, he added.
They are also designed with a much wider base in order to be incapable of tipping over, per federal law, something the older fireworks were notorious for doing, which caused many of the injuries associated with fireworks, Harris said.
Fireworks, of all shapes and sizes, have a long history. They are credited with originating in the Hunan province of China, which continues to be a main production area in the world, according fireworks.com.
This January, Jim Harris made a 16-day trip to the birthplace of fireworks to select the new fireworks for the Truckload stands -- 37 total in the West Texas area. This Fourth of July, the fireworks seen around the Permian Basin will look very different.
"Over half of the stuff I have is a direct result of the trip to China," Harris said. In China, he visited 24 fireworks factories, including some that made everything from rockets to 750-shot Saturn Missile Batteries to Roman candles.
During the day, his hosts would drive him to each factory, give him, his wife and other firework company owners a tour, invite them to dinner, and then, when darkness fell, provide them with a fireworks spectacular. As each firework went off, Harris wrote down the fireworks he liked the most and then ordered them. The factories, Harris added, are made up of 10 to 15 small buildings, with people in each house working on their part of the assembly line process.
Since the expansion of the U.S. market two years ago, the selection of 500-gram fireworks available to Harris jumped from 3 to 200.
Because the law changed, "It has changed the whole industry," said Harris. "It's like going from black and white TV to color TV."
Fireworks may be shot off year round in Texas, though only purchased twice a year. They may not be shot off within Midland city limits but may be set off in the county on private property with the land owner's permission. Due to higher quality fireworks and better safety education, Texas Fireworks Safety maintains injury has declined in recent years, even though the use of fireworks has more than doubled in the last 12 years.
"Men want to do it for their family," said Daniel Stephens, the youth minister at Mid-cities Community Church. "They are not afraid to splurge, especially when they have kids to make them have a good time."
Youth groups will be working the Truckload stand next to their church to raise money for summer camp.
On the Net:
www.fireworksafety.com
www.texasfireworkssafety.com
Source: texasfireworkssafety.com
Main Source of Article: www.mywesttexas.com
Photo by: Alec Richards
Reporter-Telegram
more at www.mywesttexasphotos.com
MRT Correspondent
Americans love fireworks. "It's kind of like baseball and mom's apple pie; it's an American tradition," said Roger Fox, the supervisor for Truckload Fireworks. "It kind of makes people happy."
Beginning today, vendors can sell fireworks until July 4 at midnight. The Permian Basin has three main companies that sell fireworks -- Truckload Fireworks, Mr. W Fireworks and TNT Fireworks.
In Texas, vendors are allowed to sell fireworks twice a year, from June 24 until July 4 and Dec. 20 through Jan. 1. Every state has different laws, meaning some states allow the sale of fireworks throughout the year or only a few times during the year, such as in New Mexico (four times each year).
"Sparklers, fire crackers and roman candles -- those are the staples," Fox said. "Nine out of 10 people -- they always start with firecrackers."
The newer 500-gram fireworks are most popular, which "shoot up very high, have multiple colors and are very pretty," he added.
Kera Roberson, the office manager at Mr. W's, based in Somerset, said the favorite firework is the Super Bomb, which costs $17.50.
A little more than two years ago, the federal law changed to allow consumers in America to purchase and use fireworks of 500-gram magnitude, said Jim Harris, the owner of Truckload Fireworks, Inc. Previously, amateurs could only use fireworks up to 200 grams, even though other nations have always allowed the larger fireworks.
The change of law, Harris explained, means new fireworks are actually safer than the previous 200-gram fireworks. They virtually eliminate the chance of starting a fire because they are much larger and more powerful. They shoot 250-300 feet in the air, where as the old ones shot only 100 feet. Because they go so high, the fireworks burn out long before any sparks can reach the ground, helping to eliminate the danger for fire, he added.
They are also designed with a much wider base in order to be incapable of tipping over, per federal law, something the older fireworks were notorious for doing, which caused many of the injuries associated with fireworks, Harris said.
Fireworks, of all shapes and sizes, have a long history. They are credited with originating in the Hunan province of China, which continues to be a main production area in the world, according fireworks.com.
This January, Jim Harris made a 16-day trip to the birthplace of fireworks to select the new fireworks for the Truckload stands -- 37 total in the West Texas area. This Fourth of July, the fireworks seen around the Permian Basin will look very different.
"Over half of the stuff I have is a direct result of the trip to China," Harris said. In China, he visited 24 fireworks factories, including some that made everything from rockets to 750-shot Saturn Missile Batteries to Roman candles.
During the day, his hosts would drive him to each factory, give him, his wife and other firework company owners a tour, invite them to dinner, and then, when darkness fell, provide them with a fireworks spectacular. As each firework went off, Harris wrote down the fireworks he liked the most and then ordered them. The factories, Harris added, are made up of 10 to 15 small buildings, with people in each house working on their part of the assembly line process.
Since the expansion of the U.S. market two years ago, the selection of 500-gram fireworks available to Harris jumped from 3 to 200.
Because the law changed, "It has changed the whole industry," said Harris. "It's like going from black and white TV to color TV."
Fireworks may be shot off year round in Texas, though only purchased twice a year. They may not be shot off within Midland city limits but may be set off in the county on private property with the land owner's permission. Due to higher quality fireworks and better safety education, Texas Fireworks Safety maintains injury has declined in recent years, even though the use of fireworks has more than doubled in the last 12 years.
"Men want to do it for their family," said Daniel Stephens, the youth minister at Mid-cities Community Church. "They are not afraid to splurge, especially when they have kids to make them have a good time."
Youth groups will be working the Truckload stand next to their church to raise money for summer camp.
On the Net:
www.fireworksafety.com
www.texasfireworkssafety.com
Source: texasfireworkssafety.com
Main Source of Article: www.mywesttexas.com
Photo by: Alec Richards
Reporter-Telegram
more at www.mywesttexasphotos.com
