Fireworks stands benefit local organizations

MOSES LAKE — Sparklers, of course. And snakes — those long strings that are lit at one end and pop, sparkle and sizzle to the other end.

And aerial mortars (not to be confused with the professional aerial fireworks). The shell is loaded — carefully — into the tube, the fuse is lit, the aerial mortar takes off and explodes in a shower of sparks and colors. And firework fountains. The days around July 4 are the time for fireworks.

Washington allows residents to buy them and set them off, and local organizations are selling them as a fundraiser.

It’s been a profitable venture for the Sand Scorpions off-road vehicle club. Rich Archer, who’s in charge of the fireworks fundraiser, said the Sand Scorpions have been selling fireworks for 25 years.

“Last year, we set an all-time record,” he said. “We sold $170,000 worth of fireworks.”

“We sell every kind of fireworks, except bottle rockets and firecrackers, because they’re illegal,” said Sand Scorpions member Steve Holmes. The club has someone on site at the stands 24 hours per day, to discourage theft.

The Sand Scorpions sell fireworks from their stand behind the Airway Deli Mart, 5053 Airway Drive NE in Moses Lake, and at the Pheasant Run convenience store at the intersection of state Route 17 and state Route 170 near Warden. A third location was added this year, at 813 Potato Hill Road, on the way out to the Moses Lake Mud Flats and Sand Dunes.

“We expect that to go crazy this year,” Archer said. “The sand dunes have been really, really busy this year.”

In fact, the Sand Scorpions expect a good year all around in 2020. Most public fireworks displays have been canceled or postponed, Archer said, so a lot of people will be shooting off their own.

Given the explosive — literally explosive — nature of the merchandise, stocking a fireworks stand is different than running other kinds of fundraisers.

“We started (filling the shelves) three days ago,” Archer said Sunday afternoon.

“We take some classes online,” Archer added. They also draw on 25 years of experience.

The setup is mandated by state regulations, with the storage trailer positioned at least 100 feet from the fireworks stand. The boxes have anti-static material in them, to reduce the chance of static electricity building up if the box is slid across a smooth surface.

“Of course there’s no smoking,” Archer said.

And the stand must be inspected by the fire marshal’s office. The fire marshal came by the Airway Drive location Sunday morning, not long before it opened.

By state regulation, fireworks sales are allowed from June 28 through July 4, although the rules are different within the city limits of Moses Lake and other cities.

Duane Strong, who’s the manager for the Airway Drive location, said sales are pretty slow the first two or three days, but it gets busy as July 4 approaches.

Each stand is staffed by two to three people the first few days, Archer said, but requires seven or eight staffers by July 4.

The Sand Scorpions partner with other organizations to work the stands during the day, when most Sand Scorpions members are at work. For 2020, the local AARP chapter and the Daze of Camelot animal sanctuary are providing volunteers, and will split the proceeds.

There’s never a shortage of Sand Scorpion volunteers. “We get new ones every year,” Archer said.

For more information on when fireworks can be used and in what cities, visit www.columbiabasinherald.com.