photo by: Kathy Hanks

Ryan Osburn, assistant manager of the Bartz Fireworks stand at Teepee Junction, was ready for business Monday morning, July 1, 2019. The stand, one of 13 in Douglas County, will stay open until midnight July 4.

Fireworks went on sale at 7 a.m. Monday in Douglas County, but it took the staff at Bartz Fireworks, at Teepee Junction along U.S. Highway 24, until 11 a.m. to set up their inventory.

Jeff Himes was unpacking cases of fireworks known as Ghost Rider 9’s on a table already laden with enough Roman candles, bottle rockets and sparklers to illuminate the sky outside of Lawrence for hours.

Managing the fireworks stand is an annual four-day summer job for Himes, who is also equipment manager for the University of Kansas football team.

Permits for fireworks stands are down this year, with only 13 issued by the Douglas County Zoning and Codes Department, said Karrey Britt, a spokeswoman for Douglas County. In 2018, 16 permits for fireworks stands were issued.

Larry Bartz has permits for three of the stands around the county. This is his 26th year in the business, which he began with his brother Gary Bartz, who died five years ago. Though it continues to be a family operation with Larry’s four children helping to manage the stands, they are rebranding from Bartz Brothers to Bartz Fireworks this year.

Fireworks have been banned in Lawrence since 2002, with only some novelty items (think sparklers, party poppers and snappers) allowed within city limits.

For those not shooting off their own fireworks, events around the area include the Lawrence Go Fourth celebration, from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday in Burcham Park. The fireworks will begin after the sun goes down, probably around 9:30 p.m. But plenty of entertainment is on tap before that, including live music, food trucks and a kids zone. A free shuttle bus will transport people between the Lawrence Public Library and Burcham Park starting at 4:30 p.m. Entry to the park and to the various entertainment stages will be free, while food, beer and other beverages will be available for purchase.

In Eudora, the celebration will begin with food and entertainment from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, and the fireworks show will begin around 9 p.m. at the Eudora Middle School, 2635 Church St.

Baldwin City will have its fireworks celebration after July 4, beginning at sundown Saturday at the Baldwin City Golf Course, 1102 Main St.