The war on terror could have a silver lining for fireworks vendors.

With sales set to begin Tuesday, area vendors are expecting the nation’s renewed patriotism to make for above-average sales.

Marvin Pine attaches some no-smoking signs to the Pine's Fireworks stand near U.S. Highways 59 and 24-40. Fireworks vendors are hoping this year's sales will be some of the best ever, fueled by a resurgence in patriotism since Sept. 11.

“I think there’s definitely going to be a lot of patriotism displayed this year,” said Gary Bartz, who is operating a fireworks stand near U.S. Highway 40 and the South Lawrence Trafficway.

An 11-year veteran of the Lawrence fireworks business, Bartz said he was expecting booming sales this year because his previous best sales year for a non-weekend Fourth of July was in the early ’90s, when the United States was involved in the Persian Gulf War.

This year’s crop of fireworks incorporates plenty of Stars and Stripes and red, white and blue, but Susan Garrett of K-10 Fireworks, near Kansas Highway 10 and Franklin Road, said that unlike the Gulf War Independence Day, the products didn’t directly tie into the country’s current battle.

“They had a lot more specialty items during Desert Storm,” Garrett said. “But this time, when the war started, the manufacturers had already shipped their products out to the wholesalers.

“I wish we had something like that, though, because we sure could sell it.”

Fewer vendors

Douglas County fireworks stands will have slightly less competition this year. According to permit numbers from the county Zoning and Codes Department, there will be 21 stands in the unincorporated part of the county, down from 23 last year.

Part of the decline can be attributed to fewer locations to operate a stand near Lawrence. Lawrence regulations prohibit fireworks stands inside the city limits.

Since last Independence Day, the city limits have grown considerably, with the city annexing 700 acres along U.S. Highway 40 between Wakarusa Drive and the South Lawrence Trafficway. That annexation forced three stands to move from their longtime spots.

	The Journal-World will sponsor free bus rides on Lawrence Bus Co. buses to Burcham Park from downtown parking lots for Thursday’s Lawrence Jaycees’ Fourth of July extravaganza.

Bartz’s stand near Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive was one of them. He said he was not sure how his new location, which will require many city residents to travel one mile farther west than his previous location, would affect business.

“I don’t see how it can be as good as our previous location,” Bartz said. “The last location was just ideal because it had so much traffic and such good access.”

Moving isn’t anything new for Bartz. He’s had to move his fireworks stand five times during the 11 years he’s been in business.

Watching the weather

Mother Nature, not city regulations, continues to be the biggest challenge the businesses face, stand operators said.

“You’re just completely at the mercy of the weather,” Bartz said. “We’re sitting here with $50,000 worth of fireworks, and if it rains three days, we’ll have a lot of them left.”

Stand owners declined to divulge details of how much profit the businesses can generate, but Garrett said bad weather, either too dry or too wet, could soak a stand in red ink.

“Most years it is a pretty good summer job, but we’ve had it go every which way,” Garrett said. “Not every year is a money maker. We’ve had some definite bad ones that have weeded out some stands that aren’t diehards.”

Garrett considers herself a diehard. Her family started the business 11 years ago when her teenage son suggested the idea. Today, her son, Jason, is a Navy helicopter pilot stationed overseas, fighting the war on terror.

“It gives me an extra reason to be patriotic,” Garrett said. “And this is the way I like to celebrate. I have people ask me out at the stand if I miss going to July Fourth parties, and I tell them I’m not missing anything. I’m at the biggest Fourth of July party right here.”