WAIPOULI — Shellie Rapozo of Waipouli Variety was surprised when she got her first sale shortly after the store opened at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
“It’s my first year,” she said. “We were unpacking and stocking from last night, and we already got our first sale.”
Sales were brisk for the pyrotechnic novelties consumers purchase to celebrate the Fourth of July, especially those items that don’t require the needed county permits for purchase.
Another clerk in the store said that Fourth of July is usually not as busy as New Year’s, the bulk of the business coming from non-local people.
“Local people usually wait until New Year’s,” she said.
Waipouli Variety stocks their shelves accordingly, their stock about 25 to 30 percent of what they normally offer during the New Year’s holiday, the clerk estimated.
People desiring to purchase fireworks must be at least 18 years of age, and those seeking firecrackers need to get county permits before purchasing them.
Those permits run $25 for every 5,000 firecrackers.
Popular items for Fourth of July celebrations include the traditional sparklers, with the magic whip and ground flowers also topping the list of what people purchase. The magic whip comes in either a long roll coiled in a cardboard package which is unrolled, and when lit, crackles through its length.
The ground flower comes either plain, or with report, the difference being the flower with the report climaxes with a loud pop following its fiery whirring and skittering on the ground.
Additionally, a wide variety of fountains in various sizes and shapes line the shelves.
Fireworks permit applications are available at all Kaua‘i Fire Department stations; KFD headquarters, the mayor’s office and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program information desks in the Lihu‘e Civic Center; and the historic County Building.
Completed applications must be presented first at KFD headquarters for approval, then along with permit payments to the Treasury Division’s Motor Vehicle Registration counters.
Sales of fireworks are allowed through 1 p.m. Sunday, July 4. Per state law, fireworks for the Fourth of July went on sale yesterday, five calendar days before the holiday.
The KFD Fireworks Hotline is 241-6511 (the KFD Prevention Bureau).
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
