Rockets Red Glare

Shortly after moving to Texas, Jon and I noticed numerous businesses advertising they sold fireworks.  None of the stores ever seemed to be open, but they were everywhere.   Almost every drive we took, we would see an occasional stand.  Jon passes a huge building located on Hwy 31 everyday going back and forth to work.  We kept wondering why there were so many, but why were they never open??

With the wonderful invention of the Internet and google, you can look up the answer to almost any question immediately.  Jon pulled out his phone one day after we passed another random stand to find out the answer.

We learned fireworks are legal to shoot off anytime of year, as long as it does not violate a city restriction (we can't ignite any in Tyler city limits).  These stands are only allowed to be open for short periods of time around July 4th (June 24-July 4) and New Year's Eve (December 20-January 1).  For certain counties near the Texas/Mexico border, fireworks can also be sold May 1 - May 5 for Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

We stopped at two stores this weekend to check out what they sell.  One place, Pappy's, looks like a vegetable stand from the road.  Jon picked up a few items from them.  We visited one other place and picked up a variety pack.  We're joining our friends from the outdoor club for a 4th of July gathering and plan on lighting up the night sky with our own fireworks display!

Happy Independence Day!
Be safe out there....