By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Any fireworks stand is going to be busy this time of year.
Tents and trailers pop up all over the place, and people rush in to get their load in time for the 4th of July holiday.
Missouri is considered by many as a fireworks haven, and the data backs that up. According to U.S. trade census data, Missouri imported over $51 million of fireworks in 2019 - far more than any other state. Ohio was second at $30.4 million.
For travelers on Interstate 29, the northwest part of Missouri offers several huge fireworks emporiums in towns like Rock Port and Watson.
The giant signage, billboards, American flags and even inflatables catch travelers' eyes, whether they're going north or south.
"It's pretty typical this time of year the weekend before the 4th," said Jon Peterson, manager of Liberty Fireworks in Rock Port. "The week here during kind of crescendos. You know, it starts with a Monday and ends with a Sunday. It just keeps growing."
Staci Martin, who owns Watson Fireworks just up the road, says customers have been coming in a little earlier than normal this year as the nation deals with a fireworks shortage.
The shortage has been fueled by record firework sales in 2020, which depleted supplies for some. That, and supply chain shortages from China, as suppliers struggle to keep up with demand as the economy recovers from the pandemic.
So far, northwest Missouri is doing okay.
"We've had a lot of people coming in early, because they've caught wind of the shortage of fireworks due to the congestion at the ports and the inability to get things from China to the United States in a timely manner," said Martin.
As usual, bottle rockets and artillery shells are among the more popular items. While some stands will feel the impacts of the shortage more than others, vendors in far northwest Missouri have the added benefit of being a stone's throw from Nebraska and Iowa's borders.
That, and being right off a major interstate that spans four states helps.
"We do have what we call a wheel of fortune where (customers) they can spin and win," Peterson said. "We keep track of the numbers of people that win and it seems to me that 75-80 percent of the winners are from out of state."
Martin says the recent College World Series also helps draw out-of-state visitors.
"Because we're right on the interstate, there's always a lot of traffic," she said. "A lot of folks traveling for holidays and summer vacations stop, so we're doing pretty good as far as getting out-of-state people here."
Watson Fireworks, Liberty Fireworks and other large vendors nearby typically open on Memorial Day weekend stay open through the 4th.
These far northern Missouri vendors have a little more competition than they did in years past. While Iowa just legalized fireworks sales in 2017, Nebraska passed a law this past spring which allows for the sale of bottle rockets and fireworks that have more than 50 grams of explosives.
Despite the change, Martin hasn't seen her customer base change their habits too much.
"A lot of people come here just because it's tradition," she said. "We have a huge warehouse, so they get a bigger selection. So, as far as changes of people buying more bottle rockets or less because they're getting them other places, I really don't notice it that much."
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.