By Chad Frey

Newton Kansan

Charla Heddin and her daughter Veronica Brandt have operated fireworks stands for decades, starting in Newton before taking a couple years to try the Augusta market. They returned to Newton this year, operating a tent for Wholesale Fireworks at 200 N. Meridian.

This fireworks season is like none they have ever seen – sales have been very slow.

“We have never seen a worse year than this,” Heddin told the Kansan. “…. Everything in the tent, if we don’t sell it, we have to pack it back up and send it back. The amount work that we did to set it up … it’s nine total days we were here with only four days we can really sell. That’s five days of just sitting in the heat and doing nothing.”

Early on in her career her family paid for the adoption of a son. This year the plan was to help a family in need – but sales have been so slow she doubts that can happen.

They are not alone. during the height of fireworks season The Kansan visited more than half of the nine fireworks stands in Newton, finding full tables and very few customers to purchase what was on those tables.

At the Friends of Harvey County ERT tent, 1601 W 1st, discussion on Tuesday afternoon was hoping things would pick up in the evening and for a big push on July 3 and 4.

“The next few days will be very important,” said Deputy Josh Lowe, who helps administrate the Friends of the Harvey County ERT tent on East First Street. “… This could be a very down year.”

For some operators the worst of the sales were Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Tents opened on Thursday, June 27, as per city and state rules.

“We made almost no money [Monday] at all. I think our total cash sales was about $300, and it should have been about $3,000”, Heddin said. “It was the same the day before, and the same so far [Tuesday]. … It is going to be hard to make that up.”

Coincidentally those days were days that fireworks use was not allowed in the city of Newton.

A thunderstorm swept through the area on Tuesday, and Monday was a windy day. They also do not have the best location in the world – there are three stands within about six blocks on her corner of town. In addition to the ERT Tent just three blocks south and west, TNM Fireworks sits two blocks north at 401 N. Meridian

To be clear, she places the blame for days of only eight sales made squarely on the city rules she called confusing.

“I don’t think the economy is playing a role here. You still have people coming in and saying ‘I don’t care, I want to have fun and I am going to do it,” Heddin said. “But there is not near as many of them, because you can’t shoot off that day. You get the question of, if I can’t shoot off tonight, why would I buy it today.”

Lowe said this could just be a rough year for any number of reasons, but the ordinance definitely was a factor in lagging sales.

“I feel like it does affect it,” Lowe said. “I think we just see people not buy them when they can’t shoot them. I feel like we sell more on the days we can shoot.”

This year the city put a break in the middle of a possible week of fireworks use – but not in the allowed operation of stands and tents for sales.

“It used to be so easy, if the tents were open you could shoot off,” Brandt said.

“The ordinance is something that definitely sticks out in your mind,” Lowe said.

The city voted in January to allow for the 2024 sales season to run from June 27 to July 4.

However, the discharge times were restricted to four days — Friday, June 28; Saturday, July 29; Wednesday, July 3; Thursday, July 4.

“It is confusing for townspeople to know what to do, even though we have it posted several places throughout the tent,” “They don’t know, ‘can we today or can we not,’ what’s legal and what is not. We are trying to express.”

And each day fireworks use was to be finished by 10 p.m.

“ I understand wanting to have the quiet time hours for night and that kind of thing, I get that. People work the next day,” Heddin said. “But, it also impacts the rest of us.”

Her tent did not hire part-time help like previous years.

All of that led the owner of a pair of fireworks stands to start a petition for customers to sign – stating a desire to have the city take up the matter of how fireworks will be handled before January and to try and “create some consistency.”

TNM Fireworks leadership said they plan to deliver that petition in August, in the interest of starting the discussion early.

Stands operating this year include:

Friends of Harvey County ERT – 1601 W 1st

Bellion Fireworks – 1216 N. Main

Ka-Boomers – 105 Manchester Avenue

Wholesale Fireworks – 601 SE 36th

Wholesale Fireworks – 1701 S. Kansas Avenue

Wholesale Fireworks – 200 N. Meridian

T&M Fireworks – 1601 S. Anderson

TNM Fireworks – 401 N. Meridian

Big Show Fireworks – 1300 S Kansas Avenue