ST. LOUIS — Families are out buying truckloads of fireworks ahead of the July Fourth weekend.
“I’m getting some fireworks. I’m excited. I love the Fourth of July,” said Timber Thorpe.
He drove over to Phantom Fireworks from Illinois to stock up.
“We know that we want to get some bottle rocks and then some fountain sparklers because those are our favorites,” said Thorpe.
Firecrackers, sparklers, and black cats—the aisles of Phantom Fireworks have them all.
“More and more firework people are going for the larger 500-gram repeaters and the mortar kits. We’re selling a lot more of those. Which are the bigger displays?” said Linda Knight, Phantom Fireworks Store Manager.
Knight said you can even buy a pre-made box for the family.
“There are sparklers and Roman candles; tanks are in here; and then there’s some of the smaller little mortar kits and Saturn missile bases,” said Knight. “Everybody has to keep in mind that they always look at fireworks as being fun and entertaining, which it is and it is a wonderful source of entertainment, but you always have to keep in mind that you are dealing with an explosive.”
Knight said fireworks are safer today than they were just a few years ago.
“Problems with fireworks have gone down drastically, so just make sure that you have a water source available and that the children are being supervised by an adult,” said Knight.