The fireworks store

These particular fireworks take several minutes to go off 

In Michigan it recently became legal to set off fireworks and firecrackers. Previously the law had not allowed anything that left the ground or blows up, without a proper license or city approval. Now a myriad of fireworks are available to the public in Michigan and it has literally turned some people into "kids in a candy store". As a result stores are popping up everywhere they can find a vacant building. It reminds me of the Halloween USA stores that begin popping up in September each year.  Even though some of the fireworks are being imported from other states, it is creating some jobs here in Michigan, which is nice, although most likely temporary. 

I usually am not real excited about fireworks. It seems like people are always getting hurt or starting things on fire. As a kid my dad would always get the fountains, sparklers, and snakes. He would take us out to the nearby lake and set the fountains off on the dock. Then we would all watch the fireworks from over the lake, the big -city approved kind. 

A selection of our purchases 

The new stores that are showing up and selling all these, now legal, fireworks are very interesting. We went to a few different locations here in town, Jake's Fireworks was my favorite. Upon entering "Jake's Fireworks", I felt the energy. The people shopping were excited. The building had been vacant for a long time before Jake's Fireworks entered and now it was bustling with people looking for deals. The store had a feeling of a discount store, with only fireworks. The irony that they were using Wal-Mart shopping carts and home depot baskets was not lost on me, it was truly a discount store.  

Snake residue 

Surrounded by packages named "widow makers" and young men who were excitedly explaining their products to customers, it was hard not to be excited. They even used an old TV display room to show what they sell and how the fireworks look after they are set off. Even the overhead music, testosterone filled rock of AC/DC, pumped a special kind of ambiance.  Sadly, I fear for many of the people buying the fireworks because the directions on the boxes weren't really clear and some of them look extremely dangerous. Especially the Tannerite, this can blow up a piano or half a car. I see no reason to sell this, it goes above and beyond celebrating with fireworks. 

As a child my favorites were sparklers and snakes. My nephew and nieces had a lot of fun with these, the smoke comes in different colors and some of them glow in the dark, but they do leave awful charcoal messes on the pavement. Some times the simplest things bring us the most joy in life.