Fireworks sales brisk as July 4 approaches
Fireworks sales were brisk Monday morning in Hutchinson as nine vendors marketed their products in the same number of locations.
At a mid-morning stop in the parking lot of Dillons Marketplace, a two-person crew was overseeing what seemed like a hundred or more fireworks options with an offer of a three-for-one special on certain items. A semi parked adjacent to the tent was reaffirmation they had plenty of inventory to handle the demand for the next four days.
Don Starnes, Executive Director of Freedom Challenge, an organization that works with prison inmates to prepare for life after incarceration, explained an arrangement his organization maintains with Bellino Fireworks, an Omaha, Neb. non-profit company.
According to Starnes, Bellino Fireworks contracts with other non-profit organizations in six states, including Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota, Arizona, and Kansas. “Contracted groups, including Freedom Challenge, are paid a fee for operating the fireworks stands,” Starnes said.
“All fees paid to Freedom Challenge will remain in Hutchinson to support our organization’s work at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility (HCF),” Starnes said.
Among the programs offered is a Life Skills class, which, among other things, teaches inmates how to get along with other people, social skills, restore relationships, vocational skills, teamwork, and a work ethic. “If trainees think they can’t be a better person, they won’t be, but if they think the opposite, that can happen too,” Starnes said.
“We work with inmates on ways to be creative and thrifty and even teach a class on how to operate a forklift and recycle mattresses,” Starnes said. “Those who successfully complete these classes and put the skills to good use become one less person causing mayhem following release from prison.”
Starnes said fireworks can have a lengthy shelf life if kept dry in storage, so anything unsold after July 4 will be stored for next year. Also, Starnes said the fireworks store provides an opportunity for HCF staff and Freedom Challenge staff to know each other better.
Among the Monday morning customers was a grandfather with his grandchildren from California, a state that does not allow fireworks sales or usage.
Starnes said Bellino’s is a permanent part of Hutchinson. It maintains a warehouse in the city to store its products and deposits sales revenue in a local bank. Starnes points out that Dillons is doing its part, too, by loaning the fireworks stand grocery carts to assist customers in transporting purchases to their vehicles.
Fireworks have even become high-tech in recent years. Most fireworks packages contain a barcode that customers can scan on their cell phones to watch a YouTube Video of the product being used.
Selling fireworks does produce a few stories worth repeating. Several years ago, a former inmate volunteered to assist at a Bellino’s fireworks store. When he noticed some unusual activity, he discovered a thief attempting to steal many fireworks by crawling out from under the tent. After making an apprehension, he held the suspect until authorities arrived.
To those who had worked with him in a Freedom Challenge course, it was proof the former inmate had taken his training to heart.
As Starnes gazed out at rows of fireworks that remained to be sold, he expressed his appreciation to Bellino Fireworks for what they do for Hutchinson and hundreds of other cities throughout the six-state area.
“Bellino Fireworks is an American company run by an American family,” Starnes said.
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