Fireworks sale helps Moses Lake band

MOSES LAKE - A new storage shed and band students' traveling costs are a few of the items supported by the Moses Lake Band Boosters' fireworks sale.

The sale runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., starting Friday through July 5, across from Duncan Crane on East Wheeler Road, in Moses Lake.

A former band parent, Lynn Townsend, explains there was two years when the group was saving enough money to travel to Disneyland.

She has two children involved in band and helped the group for the last seven years. Her youngest child just graduated, but she will continue to help.

The group hoped to build a storage shed for band booster equipment because they had used part of the bandroom for storage.

"The band program has gotten a little bigger and we need more space," she said. They have plans in the next few years to build a shed.

But not all of the money earned will go toward a storage shed. Every year, the band takes at least one trip annually to perform in parades. This past year, they traveled to Disneyland.

"The kids are earning toward their own trips this way," Townsend said.

She enjoys helping the kids. "Helping them to kind of help themselves  with their program is a really cool thing," she said.

It's why, after seven years, that she's not walking away from the program.

There were 103 students in the band program last year, she said.

Each July, parents and upperclassmen and parents volunteer at the stand.

Former band student Shannan Stevens, 18, helped at the fireworks stand while in school.

She most enjoyed the sense of community, having her friends around and seeing random strangers buying fireworks.

Stevens saw new faces, old friends and learned people skills by learning how to deal with customers and co-workers.

She also remembers sending friends out to bring her cold drinks.

On a good year, the boosters would raise about $8,000 and on an average year, about $5,000, she said.

Her mom, Frankie Stevens, is the band booster in charge of the fireworks stand this year.

Former band student Seth Townsend, 18, said he had fun hanging out with friends and trying to sell the products to customers.

When fireworks started running out, the "band moms" showed volunteers how to present fireworks in a way that was pleasing to customers, Seth recalled.

"The band moms showed us how to move fireworks all around because customers like it more," he said. "It makes us more approachable. I thought that was really interesting."

Seth played the euphonium in band for four years.

He said he stayed with band so long "because it was fun hanging out with the band geeks."

"If they're needing people, I'll probably help out," he said of this week's event.