Caution: Fireworks may produce guilt

Noaki Schwartz

COSTA MESA -- Selecting a box, the Newport resident slipped out a $20,

stuck her hand furtively through the stand’s grid and grabbed her

fireworks.

Guilt-ridden, she sped away, refusing to comment about her purchase.

Once the darling of any Norman Rockwell painting, fireworks have become a

source of guilt for many people living in areas such as Newport Beach,

where the sparklers and glittering fountains are outlawed. Following an

annual rash of fires and burns, some cities have limited July 4 flames to

the barbecue or professional displays.

However, many adults are caving in to the desire to re-create that bit of

their past for their children, so they travel to one of the five cities

in the county that sell fireworks: Costa Mesa, Buena Park, Garden Grove,

Santa Ana and Stanton.

In Costa Mesa, sellers are allowed to operate their stands from July 1 to

4, giving local residents enough time to see the colorful packaging and

decide whether they want to indulge.

But even there the guilt resurfaces, with sellers insisting that their

firecrackers are safe.

“These are safe and sane fireworks,” said Leo Ford, who operates a stand

on Bristol Street. “They’ve changed from when I was a kid. They’re

governed by safety standards, and we recommend parental assistance.”

Despite the changes from decades past, when Independence Day burns were

as ubiquitous as the firecrackers themselves and guilt was reserved for

bigger issues -- sparklers still sell.

“Sales are going very well,” Ford said. “We had a crowd yesterday.”

Some stands will stay open as long as the customers keep coming, though

it’s only the serious fireworks fan who will return late on July 4 after

the first round of firecrackers is nothing but smoke.

The most popular, said Brian Harris -- who now operates the same stand

where he bought fireworks as a kid -- are colorful Flowers and the loud

Monster Blasts.

The firecrackers range from as little at 33 cents for one to as much as

$200 for a packed selection.

The colorful packaging still has an effect on kids, who are unashamed

about their fireworks enthusiasm.

“I like the box that’s $199.99!” said Steven Bruno, 8. “I like the Mad

Dog [firecracker] -- my friend did one, and it was awesome.”