Fireworks sales don't create much of a bang
| • | Celebrating the Fourth? You have options |
By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Bret Lukens strung balloons on the fence around his Pacific Fireworks store on Nimitz Highway yesterday afternoon, hoping to attract attention and a few more customers.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
Five hours after opening on the first day of legal sales for the Fourth of July holiday, he had seen only three.
Despite bold signs and balloons, Bret Lukens yesterday drew only a few customers to his Nimitz highway fireworks stand. Lukens would like sales to pick up, but fire officials hope people will watch public displays rather than celebrating the Fourth of July on their own.
"I expected sales to be slow today," he said. He frowned as he watched the helium-filled balloon he had just attached to the fence at 755 Nimitz Highway droop.
"I just want to let people know I'm here so they can come back and buy over the weekend," he said.
Lukens said the three customers who did drop by didn't realize that sales weren't as wide open as they had been on past Independence Days. Under a law that took effect this year, firecrackers are available only to those who have ponied up $25 for a permit to buy them. Aerials continue to be banned for private individuals.
Firecracker permit sales also were slow, city officials said.
How many had been sold?
"Two," said spokeswoman Carol Costa. "One at Kalihi and one at Wahiawa."
Permits are sold year-round at satellite city halls for New Year's Eve, the Chinese new year's eve and the Fourth of July. Citizens who bought their permits earlier in the year and who specified the correct holiday on the application will be shooting off firecrackers with the two people who bought permits yesterday and those who buy theirs through Tuesday.
Fireworks sales will continue through 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Fireworks can legally be used from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, but Capt. Richard Soo of the Honolulu Fire Department said firefighters on O'ahu hope citizens will choose to attend public fireworks displays instead.
Dry weather, which was a contributing factor in two good-sized brushfires over the past couple of weeks, makes widespread use of fireworks especially dangerous, he said.
Memories of house fires started by fireworks on previous holidays, including one that killed an 80-year-old Palolo woman on New Year's Eve last year, also continue to make fireworks distasteful to emergency workers, Soo said.
"Leave fireworks to the professionals," he said.
