Firework sales fizzling before holiday

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - All of the questions about being able to light fireworks off at home have many wondering if it’s hurting firework sales.

The dry weather obviously hurts farmers, lawn care providers, and landscapers.

When it hits in late June and early July, firework sales really feel it.

"The aisles would be a whole lot fuller if we had some rain, but we haven't,” Kenny Dean of Dean’s Fireworks said. “All the people that are in the business are in the same boat."

Dean isn’t new to firework sales, and even remembers a year from the past similar to now.

"I was in this business in 1988 when we had this same situation,” Dean said. “It was one of those situations that you just have to get through and wait until next year."

Across town, Mark's Fireworks said they're still holding on to hope.

"Things are always slow leading up to the third and fourth,” Robin Young of Mark’s Fireworks said. “That is always our busiest time."

Even though the colorful displays aren't outlawed, some people are shying away from the holiday tradition.

While fire officials are advising against celebrating with flare this Independence Day, local shops state there is still a way to do it safely.

"You need to use caution obviously with the dry conditions,” Dean said. “It'd be great to have a garden hose and wet down your yard really well."

"Have a spotter looking for embers that maybe fell and could light a fire," Young said.

"You need to use extreme caution and be in wide open areas as opposed to areas with a lot of brush," Dean added.

"Be sure that you're bracing the fireworks you set off so that they stay upright and stable and start shooting sparks all over the ground," Young explained.

If you don’t follow safety instructions, it can be dangerous.

"If you're shooting something low to the ground and you don't water down your yard, it's actually unsafe," Dean said.

In many areas across the country, the sales aren't the boom they've been in years past.

Eventually, rain will come and Independence Day celebrations will spark again.

"People are talking about Labor Day to shoot fire works, which could start a new tradition in this area."

Some cities around the Wabash Valley set up locations for people to come shoot their own fireworks safely.