Lighting fireworks banned on Tulalip reservation land due to fire danger

Photo/ Tulalip Forestry Department
Photo/ Tulalip Forestry Department

Lighting of  fireworks are banned on all Tulalip reservation lands due to increased fire danger.

Source: Tulalip Forestry Department
All outdoor burning is banned with the exception of recreational fires in approved fire pits
Recreational fires must:
·        Be built in a metal, concrete or rock fire pit, such as those typically found in designated campgrounds; and not be used as debris disposal;
·        Grow no larger than three feet in diameter;
·        Be located in a clear spot free from any vegetation for at least 10 feet in a horizontal direction, including at least 25 feet away from any structure and allow 20-foot vertical clearance from overhanging branches;
·        Be attended at all times by an alert individual and equipment capable of extinguishing the fire.
·        Cultural fires are exempt but must Be attended at all times by an individual and equipment capable of extinguishing the fire .
All outdoor burn permits are suspended until this ban is lifted. This ban will remain in effect until there is a sustained period of rainfall and the fire risk returns to low.
As the season progresses and fire danger continues to get higher additional restrictions will be implemented.

Have a happy and safe Fourth

 
It’s been a beautiful summer and with Independence Day right around the corner, I want to encourage everyone to make safety your first priority. With the Sleepy Hollow Wildfire devastating our neighbors in Eastern Washington and the series of fires intentionally set along I-5 June 30th, as well as the home that burned on 27th Avenue recently, the potential for fire is at the forefront of my mind.
 
Boom City has become a beloved part of the Tulalip landscape over the last four decades. Ask an elder and you’ll hear about its humble beginnings when a handful of shacks were constructed every year to sell firecrackers, then torn down after to Fourth. Now this iconic summer village is transported one stand at a time from yards across the reservation to Quil Ceda Village. Boom City is an entrepreneurial incubator featuring over a hundred small businesses, each with their own character and panache. 
 
How many of you received your first training in business working at a fireworks stand? You learned to bargain, to understand the value of goods and to make sure you got a return on your investment. While fireworks have played an important role in creating business savvy in our community, they’re also a potential source heartache. Every year the hospital emergency room sees countless injuries related to fireworks, and the fire department works countless hours trying to keep our homes and lands safe. Unfortunately, they’re not always successful, which is why I’m asking you, our citizens, to take control of your safety and be extra careful this year.
 
Tulalip, like the entire State, is experiencing the effects of our drought. Our salmon hatchery is struggling to supply enough water to keep smolts alive and healthy. Our utilities department has instituted watering schedules to conserve water. Everywhere you look you see dry grass and wilted greenery. The Reservation is currently observing a burn ban. Add our current heat wave and not only is it fireworks season, it’s fire season. 
 
There are many ways to safely enjoy fireworks. One of my favorites is a professional fireworks display. The Seafair Summer Fourth on the shores of Lake Union is a favorite, Renton, Kirkland, Bainbridge Island and Bellevue are also hosting shows. If you want to stay a little closer to home the City of Arlington holds a fireworks show as part of their Frontier Days celebration. Everett hosts a downtown parade, festivities and the ‘Thunder on the Bay’ fireworks show on Grand Avenue park at 10:20 p.m., and for those of us with family in Darrington, you can look forward to family activities, a parade and fireworks at dusk. 
 
If you can’t give up your tradition of lighting fireworks, consider lighting them the same place you buy them. Boom City features an expanded lighting area this year. To make sure things stay safe, there are two staffers on duty and a water truck to extinguish any fires before they can expand. The other advantage to lighting fireworks at Boom City is that you don’t have to deal with the mess. Boom City employs a clean-up crew every year to take out the trash.
 
If you’re lighting at home, please be careful, use common sense and be safe. Some of the worst offenders for starting fires are unpredictable fireworks like jumping jacks. One of the popular buys this year, is a 500gram cake called ‘Feed the Beast’ in tribute to Marshawn Lynch. Fireworks like this are safer for a number of reasons, first, you get 24 shots by lighting a single fuse, which means there’s less chance of personal injury. Second, the display is high in the air, and the spark is gone by the time it reaches the ground. 
 
If you are lighting fireworks at home, prep the area. Make sure that you’re lighting on bare earth or pavement, not a dry grass field. Have a charged water hose ready. You might feel silly, but wear safety glasses to protect your eyes. Never allow children to light fireworks unsupervised and remember, fireworks and alcohol don’t mix. 
 
Last, remember that fireworks aren’t the only source of fire. Barbecues and campfires, lit cigarettes and even sparks from welding can start fire. To quote my good friend Smokey the Bear, only you can prevent wildfires. I want to wish everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July full of family, friends and great times. 
 
Mel Sheldon
Tulalip Tribes Chairman

Tulalip Boom City opens for fireworks season

Flaming Arrow stand owner Mike Dunn is ready for the 2015 Boom City Fireworks season. Photo/ Tulalip News, Brandi N. Montreuil
Flaming Arrow stand owner Mike Dunn is ready for the 2015 Boom City Fireworks season.
Photo/ Tulalip News, Brandi N. Montreuil

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP- Fireworks stands and distributors have taken up temporary residence in the lot behind the Tulalip Resort Casino, which means that fireworks season is upon us and Boom City  is officially open for business.

This season boasts 139 fireworks stands, 11 concession stands and 3 arts and crafts vendors. That is 12 more firework stands than last year.

Despite the recent debate on a firework ban in neighboring Marysville, stand owners expect a bountiful season. Many stand owners are fully stocked and ready to barter prices on the first day.

Photo/ Tulalip News, Brandi N. Montreuil
Photo/ Tulalip News, Brandi N. Montreuil

According to Washington state law it is illegal to discharge illegal fireworks, however, this does not include the reservation, which is subject to Tulalip and federal firework laws. This allows stand owners to sell fireworks prohibited by Washington state laws. To compensate buyers, Boom City provides a lighting area where fireworks banned off-reservation can be discharged in safety.

In Marysville residents are limited to discharging legal fireworks on July 4 from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. only.

Josh Fryberg who co-owns the 'Josh-n-Rocks One Stop Shop with Rocky Harrison hasn't missed a season since he started as a youth. Photo/ Tulalip News, Brandi N. Montreuil
Josh Fryberg who co-owns the ‘Josh-n-Rocks One Stop Shop with Rocky Harrison hasn’t missed a season since he started as a youth.
Photo/ Tulalip News, Brandi N. Montreuil

Safety is top priority for the Boom City Committee which is responsible for the organization and compliance of stand owners. To ensure safety of stand owners and visitors, security personal are on-site throughout the selling season. Tulalip Police Department also maintains an active presence with K9 units and foot patrols to discourage illegal activity.

Boom City will close late evening on July 4. Hours of operation are 6 a.m. to midnight. The lighting area is open all hours of operation except when a memorial show  or demo show is scheduled.

For more information please visit the Boom City Facebook Page.

 

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

Jared Parks co-owner of 'Crazy Deals vs High Times' plans to amp up his fireworks season by including technology to market his products. Photo/ Tulalip News, Brandi N. Montreuil
Jared Parks co-owner of ‘Crazy Deals vs High Times’ plans to amp up his fireworks season by including technology to market his products.
Photo/ Tulalip News, Brandi N. Montreuil

 

Foes blast M’ville fireworks; a few speak out for them

By: Steve Powell, Marysville Globe

 

MARYSVILLE – Despite evidence to the contrary every July 4, more residents favor a ban on fireworks than support continuing them.

That is according to an unscientific survey taken the past week by The Marysville Globe. After the City Council discussed options, including a ban, July 28, the Globe asked readers for their opinions.

By a wide margin, respondents favored a ban, but the few in opposition were just as passionate.

No ban needed

“I am very much against the fireworks ban,” said Ralph Woodall, who even had his front yard burned up by a safe and sane firework this year. “We enjoy them every year.”

Amy Burt added: “One of the events that the kids in our neighborhood look forward to every year is July 4th. It’s one day a year. I think it’s good for the community as it brings everyone together to share in the fun. We always clean up afterwards, too.”

Maribeth Woodall said it’s only once a year, and many organizations benefit from the sales of fireworks. “Let’s not ban all just because of a few,” she says. “It’s a special time, and we and many friends love the beauty and even the noise. I would hate to see it end.”

Pam Salas says: “The 4th of July is an American celebration of freedom, and one of the few times a year we get to feel like we have freedom. The 4th of July fireworks in Marysville bring families and neighbors together in celebration. My family, for example, had not celebrated a holiday together in 10 years. What the ability to have our own fireworks display did was bring my family from around the country together. They enjoyed it so much that we all want to make it a yearly event.”

Lance Van Winkle got upset with some council members not wanting to get public input on the issue. He said he sometimes gets irritated by it all.

“Then I realize it’s once a year. It’s a celebration of our country’s freedom, and it maybe means more than it seems on the surface,” he says in an email. “Your ban rant seems ridiculous” considering all of the fireworks sold in the area.

Van Winkle said the council should focus on more important things.

“Why not focus your limited resources on things like panhandlers, drug dealers, thieves, vagrants and the like that we citizens put up with every day, not just once a year. Let people ‘blow off’ a little steam,” he says.

Most favor ban

But a wide majority of the almost 30 respondents agreed with Shelly Baker.

“Every year on the Fourth of July it is literally like a war zone around here. And these are not the safe and sane ones – we know they were all at Boom City buying theirs. The mess left behind that nobody seems to think is important to clean up (and this is a nice neighborhood), the trauma to pets, and not being able to go to sleep until sometimes well after midnight is a problem for many.”

Baker said a ban would be hard to enforce. “At the very least it would likely curb some of it, but I am skeptical that it will ever go away,” she wrote in an email to The Globe.

Donna Trevino had similar sentiments.

“It’s like a war zone all around my house with people at almost every home, out in front of their house shooting off fireworks, with no knowledge of what they are doing. Some are shooting off sideways, barely missing people and children. If you have a fireworks display from one place in Marysville, where people could go and watch, that would be fine. But this FREE-FOR-ALL has got to STOP.”

Other respondents had many reasons for wanting a ban.

“I get asthma from the smoke. My dog has to take medicine. In my neighborhood the fireworks start on June 23 and go to about July 6,” Joanne Thorleifson says.

Royann Almond’s email says: “All fireworks should be banned for the safety of our city! Since the houses being burned down cannot be traced back to origin, outlawing all, could solve noise, air pollution, bodily harm, frightened animals and property!”

Morgan Magaoay says: “These are no longer just firecrackers, they are bombs. There is no regard to property and safety for people and the suffering of animals.”

Goes on too long

Other respondents focused on singular issues. Many say they can handle fireworks on the Fourth, but not weeks before and after.

Jeri Williams said fireworks are shot off illegally long before and after the 4th. “They shoot them off day and night,” Williams says, adding she also supports a ban to ease the enforcement load on the fire and police departments.

Wendy Clark said she doesn’t like fireworks going off June 15 to July 15, nor from Dec. 1 to Jan. 15.

“We are forced to sedate our dog on many of these evenings as she becomes so stressed and emotionally frantic that nothing short of knocking her out gives her any relief,” Clark’s email says.

She says this year’s Fourth far exceeded the prior three years’ noise, “booms” and acrid smell. The magnitude in amount, duration, scope and intensity was “injurious, unfriendly, inconsiderate and very unfortunate.”

She added, “Boom City was not responsible for ALL of this objectionable hullabaloo.”

“Our Independence Day and New Year’s Eve holiday celebrations should include more than terror and fear. Maybe we need to encourage more focus on the TRUE meanings behind these celebrations: our independence, the service of the men and women in the military, the dedication of our veterans, and the many freedoms and liberties we enjoy by living in the United States of America,” she says.

Others said the true meaning of the holiday is being lost.

Kathy Franzwa says, “Most of them are not celebrating our freedom–-they’re looking for an excuse to make obnoxious noise with callous disregard for our veterans and animals. There were many times this summer when the cannon-like explosions seemed to be in my back yard.”

Phyllis and Bob Mennenga say: “Some people just don’t know when to quit. Go to a fireworks show if you like them so much.”

Others said illegals fireworks on the Tulalip Reservation should be banned. However the city does not have jurisdiction over the reservation.

Ed Mohs says: “Ban the illegal, Tulalip Tribe Boom City-type fireworks. People in general are disrespectful and light fireworks at all hours of the night prior to and after the Fourth.”

Sheri and Pat Boober say: “I believe that Marysville should ban the Tulalip Indian fireworks stands being able to sell unsafe fireworks,” their email says. “There simply is no reason for people to have to have their houses shake for practically the whole month of July.”

John Muller says Marysville should ban fireworks like other cities have. “Just think about the peace of mind and the funds that could be saved to use on other projects within the city,” he says in an email. He added that the cost to the city each year is great, with fire department calls, injuries, aid cars and property damage. “The local indian tribe would not welcome any ban, but so be it,” Muller says. “They may do as they wish on tribal land, even open a fireworks park.”

Going to extremes

Some respondents go to the extreme to avoid problems.

David Bartos says: “We are forced to leave town over the 4th, not only because we do not like the excessive fireworks but one of our two dogs is absolutely terrified the entire time.”

Bartos said the lasting effects of the 4th are ridiculous.

“We heard some booms close to our house as recently as Aug. 1, four weeks after the 4th!” he says in his email. “Also in several areas within a five-block radius of our house, the mess in the street is terrible; it is still there, and no one cleans it up.”

Kay Anthony said: “I live in fear every year that my house will catch fire. I pray for rain every year, and most years it is very dry. I should not have to worry about my house burning down and tranquilize my pet for irresponsible people to get an expensive few minutes of thrill.”

Anthony added that since there are organized fireworks shows nearby, the city should not waste its money on a local display. “Funds can be better spent,” she says in an email.

Still others take it even further.

“It has made us think about moving,” Linda Hughes Freeth says. “It was so bad we spent the night in a hotel as it was too stressful to be at home.”

It wasn’t any better when she returned.

“On the 5th, we had to deal with all the debris on our lawn and cars. Even today, as I walk our dog in the neighborhood, I am still seeing remnants of the fireworks strewn on the sidewalks, lawns and street.”

She recommended that the city work with the Tulalip Tribes to have a show on the reservation.

Other respondents said they would be open to a show or having certain areas where people could shoot off personal fireworks.

Fred Schiefelbein wouldn’t mind a few designated spots where people could shoot them off with supervision. “I have seen my share of fireworks with three tours in Vietnam, and when people start shooting off a week before and a week after the fourth it gets a little old.”

Barbara Turpin says she stays at home on the Fourth to protect her house from fireworks. She says illegal fireworks should be banned. “I think the council is afraid to ruffle feathers; law should be law, illegal is illegal,” she says. For the future, “Maybe not doing fireworks at the (Strawberry) festival and making a combined celebration with fireworks on the 4th,” she says in an email.

Along with shooting them off too many days, the other big issue was people not cleaning up after themselves.

Don’t clean up

Dan Hennessey says: “Every year the block next to mine has a huge neighborhood ‘display’ that lasts for a few hours on the night of the 4th. The ‘carnage’ of fireworks litter is absolutely incredible the following morning. One elderly couple’s home had their yard so covered in this litter the green grass was barely showing through as they were out raking and bagging all the leftovers their considerate neighbors donated. I asked them if this was recurring, and the answer was six years ongoing.”

Bonnie Stevens says: “Each 4th of July our trees and home are covered with dangerous fireworks! This year we found a balloon-type object hanging in one of our trees (it comes with a candle attached).”

Herman Moya says: “We do not mind the safe and sane fireworks but not the quarter stick of dynamite ones. They just shake the house. The next morning I have to clean up the spent fireworks from my driveway, front yard and back yard. I have to use a roof rake to remove them from my roof. I am 75 and too old to get on my roof. I have to remove them from my rain gutters. The local kids started two weeks before the 4th: Bang, bang, bang for hours. I called the Marysville police, and they immediately came and talked with the kids. They stopped but were at it again in a few days.”

Carol Whitney said the Marysville Police Department would not enforce a ban if one was passed.

“What we need to do is hold the MPD accountable to enforce the ban/limited use law already on the books. If they took that law seriously then the fireworks would not be the huge problem that they are right now.”

Mary Anne Jones did a great job of summarizing the issue: “I am certainly all for showing our love of country, but here in Marysville, I think, some have gone beyond that. Even tonight, I hear the bang of fireworks. They have been blasted around in our area since June 6 every evening until about midnight, keeping my nerves on end and my dog shivering under the bed until wee hours of the morning. My husband often has to drive to a quiet park away from Marysville so that the little dog will go potty.

“I wonder, though, in this day and age, could we really enforce a ban? So many don’t care about what is legal. It is about what they want. I guess I would like to see the ban on private fireworks and police action to back it up properly. I think a community firework display on the 4th of July could be a good answer.”

Don’t forget to take care of your pets tomorrow

The sound of fireworks can send dogs and cats into a panicked mania. (Image: Thinkstock)
The sound of fireworks can send dogs and cats into a panicked mania. (Image: Thinkstock)

By Britt Thorson, KOMO News

The Fourth of July is one of the most exciting days of the year for Americans, and simultaneously the most terrifying for their animals. If you’ve ever seen a dog in the midst of a fireworks display, you’d know how sad and scared for their lives the poor animals really are.

We love our pets, and we want to make this day as bearable as possible for them. Here are a couple tips from the Seattle Humane Society on how to get your pet past the trauma of the Fourth.

Keep them indoors. During the fireworks display, keep your pets in a room with no windows. This will both buffer the outdoor sounds for them, and keep them feeling safe in a confined place. Make sure to have plenty of food and water available for them while you’re out frolicking!

Create a calming environment. Hopefully the enclosed room will be calming, but you can help even more by putting your pet’s favorite toys around them. You can even go as far as putting a shirt or blanket with your smell next to them. Put on soothing music, close the blinds and keep the room as quiet as possible.

Keep them away from fireworks. This should be a no-brainer, but keep your pets far away from any fireworks. Even if they aren’t scared by the sounds and are being let roam the house and backyard during the festivities, fireworks are just as dangerous to animals as they are to us.

Update identification. The Humane Society says that the single biggest risk this holiday is pets getting scared, running away, and becoming lost. It is not uncommon for pets kept inside to be so panicked by the sound of fireworks that they break through glass windows to get out. Double-check your pets are microchipped, and have their correct ID tags on.

Our pets are naturally not going to love this day as much as we do – but we can definitely make sure they don’t hate it!

Fireworks laws meant to keep people safe on July 4

Sales of fireworks have already begun at Boom City on the Tulalip Reservation. Other fireworks stands will begin sales off the reservation starting June 28.— image credit: Brandon Adam
Sales of fireworks have already begun at Boom City on the Tulalip Reservation. Other fireworks stands will begin sales off the reservation starting June 28.
— image credit: Brandon Adam

 

By Kirk Boxleitner, Arlington Times

While Arlington and Marysville encourage citizens to celebrate the Fourth of July, the cities’ police officers and firefighters want to make sure those who use fireworks do so safely and legally.

Arlington allows fireworks to be sold from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, through Friday, July 4, whereas Marysville allows sales from noon to 11 p.m. on June 28 and from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Sunday, June 29, through July 4.

Marysville residents may discharge fireworks only between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. July 4, while Arlington residents may discharge fireworks between 9 a.m. and midnight that day. Neither city allows residents to discharge fireworks any other day, outside of New Year’s, and both cities limit their legal fireworks to Class C, or “safe and sane” fireworks.

Native American reservations may sell fireworks that do not conform to those laws, but such fireworks must be detonated on reservation lands. The fireworks stands of “Boom City” on the Tulalip Tribal Reservation provide a lighting and detonation area on site for customers. Security personnel will monitor the area to ensure that children age 12 and younger have adults age 18 or older present.

Fireworks that are illegal off tribal lands include bottle rockets, skyrockets, missiles and firecrackers. M-80s and larger, as well as dynamite and any improvised, homemade or altered explosive devices, such as tennis balls, sparkler bombs or cherry bombs, are likewise illegal. Anyone who possesses or uses such illegal devices can expect to be charged with a felony.

State Fire Marshal Charles Duffy is reminding Washingtonians that the purchase of fireworks over the Internet is illegal. Fireworks must be purchased from a licensed retail fireworks stand during the legal sales period.

In its online list of tips to the public, the Arlington Fire Department noted that illegal fireworks are often unpackaged and wrapped in plain brown paper, and warned against purchasing any fireworks that are not in their original packages, or are in opened or damaged packages.

Marysville police are taking enforcement seriously. Up until two years ago, they mainly issued warnings to those caught with illegal fireworks. “Warnings weren’t effective in ending the activity,” Marysville Police Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux said. “Anyone caught with illegal fireworks will be cited, and the fireworks will be confiscated.”

Under state law, possession or discharge of illegal fireworks is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in jail and a mandatory court appearance.

City Public Information Officer Doug Buell pointed out that Marysville police can issue criminal citations to violators or civil citations, the latter similar to a speeding ticket. Lamoureux explained that such civil infractions enable officers to spend more time on the streets responding to fireworks complaints, and less time processing paperwork.

He added that Marysville police plan to have more officers on duty during this year’s Fourth of July, and emphasized that the safety of individuals and property is of utmost concern. “We have seen too many instances elsewhere and over the years where celebrations quickly turned to tragedy for families, especially where children and teenagers are involved,” Lamoureux said.

Although Arlington Fire Deputy Chief Tom Cooper believes that Arlington police and fire personnel are more likely to try and educate those using illegal fireworks, he warned that they will likely be more proactive and visible in various neighborhoods that have experienced problems with fireworks before.

“As much as the Fourth of July is a patriotic holiday, there are more than a few veterans who have a hard time dealing with fireworks because of their experiences,” Cooper said. “If people limit their fireworks activities to the Fourth, it allows those folks, as well as those who own easily spooked pets, to make arrangements.”

Officials in both cities urge Fourth of July revelers to clean up their fireworks. “After you light it up, clean it up,” Buell said. “Discarded fireworks the days after the Fourth are a neighborhood and community eyesore, and smoldering fireworks can still pose a fire hazard if you don’t get rid of them properly.”

To dispose of spent fireworks properly, the Arlington Fire Department advises that people let their used fireworks lay on the ground until they are cool, and there is no chance that any residue will reignite, after which they should place all the expended firework cases in a bucket of water. Those who use fireworks should keep a bucket of water or a running water hose close by.

“We want people in our community to enjoy fireworks and the Fourth, but we want them to do so safely, which is why we’re encouraging them to attend public fireworks shows, like the one at the Arlington Boys & Girls Club,” Cooper said. “Those shows are professional, well-organized, safe and, at least in Arlington, free.”

Cooper cautioned against treating certain fireworks dismissively because of their size. “People tend to think that smaller fireworks are less dangerous,” Cooper said. “That’s how they get injured, from standing too close to those fireworks, or over them, or even by holding bottle rockets with their bare hands.”

Boom City or bust!

Tulalip Boom City provides shoppers with one-stop firework shopping with over 120 stands to choose from. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
Tulalip Boom City provides shoppers with one-stop firework shopping with over 120 stands to choose from. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

Tulalip Boom City opens its 35th consecutive firework season

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – “It is a demand. There are people that want to buy fireworks and they know where to go to buy them. It’s why we are here, because of those return customers,” says Pink Cadillac stand owner and Tulalip tribal member, Dan Pablo Sr., about the annual firework-selling event in Tulalip known as Boom City.

Boom City, a malaise of 8×16 foot, cleverly decorated wooden stands displaying thousands of pyrotechnic merchandise, is in its 35th year of operation. The 126 stands owners will have a little over two weeks to sell thousands of fireworks and make a profit that can range from $2,000 to $30,000.

To organize this massive event and keep stand owners and the hundreds of thousands who come to purchase fireworks each year safe, is a group of people called the Boom City Committee. The committee, consisting of five people, is responsible for site security, sanitation, and making sure Boom City policies are followed.

To ensure safety at Boom City, security personal are on-site throughout the selling season and enforce rules for stand owners and customers, such as no smoking near the stands, only lighting off fireworks in the designated discharging area, and safety in general. Tulalip Police Department also maintains an active presence at Boom City with a K9 unit, in addition to foot patrol units, who patrol to discourage illegal activity.

Committee chairman, Dan Pablo Sr., says planning for the event takes months, and that includes collecting of permit and insurance fees from stand owners before holding a drawing for stand lot numbers. After merchandise stocking and set up is finalized, Pablo says stand owners wait for the “rush,” what he calls the four days before the 4th of July.

Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

For 35 years, millions of customers have visited and purchased fireworks for their 4th of July celebrations, at what has been described as the single largest place to buy fireworks in the Pacific Northwest and a place unlike any other. But what makes Boom City so successful?

Pablo contributes its success to the fact that customers can purchase fireworks that are illegal in Washington state, such as firecrackers, bottle rockets, missiles and sky rockets.  Stand owners, who must be Tulalip tribal members 18 and over or spouses of Tulalip members to operate a stand, are legally able to sell these types of federal fireworks specifically due to the location of Boom City. Tulalip Reservation and it’s tribal citizens while they are on the Reservation, are subject to Tulalip and Federal firework laws, not State law, making the sale of fireworks exempt from state law, and it possible to possess and discharge them on tribal lands.

“I have seen prices in town that are lower than here, but our fireworks have more to them than what you can get in town, which is why they come here,” said Pablo, who also says the annual firework season presents a tremendous business opportunity to tribal members.

“It is a lot of work to do this. I look forward to it, and the extra money is a big draw. It is an opportunity to make extra money that you normally wouldn’t be able Boom-City_2to, but you have to have some salesmanship skills. You have to know what you have is the big thing,” said Pablo about being a successful stand owner.

It is not only stand owners who stand to make a profit at Boom City this year, but also Tulalip youth, 16 and over. Youth are hired during the firework season to help stock stands, run errands, and help draw in customers. Food vendors also hire youth to take and deliver food orders.

While stand owners are open two weeks before the 4th, it’s the few days before that they make most their profits.

“Selling is non-stop towards the end. There is no slow time. It is constant. It is a lot of work, and sometimes you don’t get lunch until 4:30 in the afternoon. It is that busy. But it is a lot of fun,” said Pablo.

Boom City will close on July 4, and is open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. For more information regarding Boom City, please contact 360-716-4204. Or you can check out Boom City on Facebook.

 

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to celebrate Fourth of July

Annie Mulligan / For the heraldA red-white-and-blue-decorated truck carries people in the same colors down Fifth Avenue in Edmonds during the city's Fourth of July parade in 2012.
Annie Mulligan / For the herald
A red-white-and-blue-decorated truck carries people in the same colors down Fifth Avenue in Edmonds during the city’s Fourth of July parade in 2012.

Source: The Herald

From Edmonds to Arlington, Fourth of July festivities will flourish throughout Snohomish County with parades, fireworks, live music, barbecues and family activities.

In Everett, the Colors of Freedom celebration has many free events, such as the downtown parade, which starts at 11 a.m. on Colby and Wetmore avenues, between Wall and 26th streets, and includes marching bands, clowns, and dance and drill teams.

The Colors of Freedom Festival runs from 1 to 11 p.m. at Legion Memorial Park, 145 Alverson Blvd.; there will be live music, a food fair and kids’ activities. There is no parking at Legion Park, so ride free on Everett Transit shuttles and buses.

Other events in Everett:

Thunder on the Bay Fireworks: 10:20 p.m. Best viewing locations are Grand Avenue Park, 1800 Grand Ave., and Legion Memorial Park, 145 Alverson Blvd.

Everett, Fun in the Sun Street Fair: noon to 3 p.m, live music, car show, pony rides and other children’s entertainment at First Baptist Church, 1616 Pacific Ave.; free; 425-259-9166; www.fbc-everett.org.

Everett AquaSox baseball: 7:05 p.m., Everett Memorial Stadium, 3900 Broadway; opponent is the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes; post-game fireworks planned; tickets at www.aquasox.com.

Comcast Community Ice Rink, Fire on Ice: 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., 2000 Hewitt Ave.; $4 admission includes skate rental; barbecue outside arena; 425-322-2600; www.comcastarenaeverett.com.

Star-Spangled celebration: Imagine Children’s Museum, 1502 Wall St., open noon to 4 p.m. Regular admission is $9 for everyone older than 1; free admission for active military families; patriotic hatmaking and other activities; 425-258-1006; www.imaginecm.org.

Yankee Doodle Dash: 1 mile, 5K and 10K races on July 4 at Everett Family YMCA, 2720 Rockefeller Ave.; register at your local branch or online at www.ymca-snoco.org/ydd; day of registration opens at 7 a.m. July 4. YMCA members get a price break.
Race start times: 10K 8:30 a.m.; 5K, 8:45 a.m.; 1 mile, 8:55 a.m.

Naval Station Everett has cancelled events this year.

For more information on Everett events, call 425-257-8700 or go to www.ci.everett.wa.us.

Other July Fourth celebrations throughout the county:

Arlington: Frontier Days Fourth of July at Haller Park, 1100 West Ave., unless noted below; 360-403-3448; www.arlingtonwa.gov.

7 to 10 a.m. pancake breakfast.

8 to 9 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. start for Pedal, Paddle, Puff Triathalon.

8:30 and 10 a.m. silent auctions, noon live auction.

Noon to 4:30 p.m., carnival games, Legion Park.

1 to 3 p.m., Lions Club apple pie social.

4:30 p.m. kid parade, registration at 3:30 p.m. at PUD, 210 Division St.

5 p.m. grand parade, Olympic Avenue.

7:30 p.m. Rotary Duck Dash.

9 p.m. fireworks, seating at Boys & Girls Club, 18513 59th Ave. NE.

Bothell: Grand parade starts at noon; routes proceed west on Main Street and then north on Bothell-Everett Highway to NE 188th Street.

Children’s parade for up to age 12 starts at 11:15 a.m. Parents must accompany children or arrange to meet them at the end. Start area for children and grand parades is at 104th Avenue and Main Street.

Pancake breakfast: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Bothell Downtown Firehouse, 10726 Beardslee Blvd; 425-486-7430; www.ci.bothell.wa.us.

Camano Island: Terry’s Corner, 3 p.m., at Sunrise Boulevard and Highway 532 (East Camano Drive); live music, Korean War remembrance by veterans; children’s play area; free; 360-629-0132.

Darrington: Hometown Parade: noon lineup at the community center for 1 p.m. start. Proceed down Darrington Street toward Mountain Loop Highway and end at Old School Park on Alvord Street. Family activities and live entertainment to follow; fireworks at dusk; free; 360-436-1131, www.darringtonwatourism.com.

An Edmonds Kind of Fourth: All events free; www.edmondswa.com.

  • Fun run 10 a.m.
  • Children’s parade 11:30 a.m. at Fifth Avenue and Walnut.
  • Grand parade noon, starting at Sixth and Main streets.
  • Edmonds firefighters waterball competition, 2:30 p.m., Third Avenue S. and Pine.
  • Evening entertainment and food vendors at 7:30 p.m. at Civic Stadium, Sixth and Bell.
  • Fireworks at 10 p.m. at Civic Stadium.

Mountlake Terrace: The city is hosting a Family Fourth of July event featuring a professional fireworks show thanks to the financial support of the community. The event begins with musical entertainment at 8 p.m. at Evergreen Playfield, followed by the fireworks show shortly after 10 p.m. Guests are welcome to arrive as early as 6:30 p.m. to get a good spot and bring a picnic dinner to enjoy while they wait for the entertainment to begin.

Evergreen Playfield No. 6 is located just south of 224th Street SW and 56th Ave. W. Parking is available on the street, at Evergreen Playfield, 22205 56th Ave. W and the Recreation Pavilion, 5303 228th St. SW; pets and personal fireworks are not allowed at this event. For more information, call recreation manager Jeff Betz at 425-640-3101.

Use fireworks in safe, legal manner

Source: Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — While the cities of Arlington and Marysville encourage their citizens to celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July holiday in a festive manner, the cities’ police officers and firefighters want  to make sure that those who choose to use fireworks do so in a safe and legal fashion.

The city of Arlington allows fireworks to be sold from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 28, through Thursday, July 4, whereas the city of Marysville allows fireworks to be sold from noon to 11 p.m. on June 28 and from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Saturday, June 29, through July 4.

Marysville residents may discharge their fireworks between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. on July 4, while Arlington residents may discharge their fireworks between 9 a.m. and midnight on July 4.

Neither city allows its residents to discharge their fireworks on any other day, outside of the New Year holiday, and both cities limit their legal fireworks to Class C, or “safe and sane” fireworks. Neighboring Native American reservations may sell fireworks that do not conform to these laws, but such fireworks must be detonated on reservation lands.

The retail fireworks stands of “Boom City” on the Tulalip Tribal Reservation also provide a lighting and detonation area on site for customers, since not all of the fireworks sold at Boom City are allowed to be detonated off the reservation. Security personnel will monitor the area to ensure that children aged 12 years and younger have adults aged 18 years or older present.

According to Marysville Fire District Division Chief and Fire Marshal Tom Maloney, fireworks that are illegal off tribal lands include bottle rockets, skyrockets, missiles and firecrackers. M-80s and larger, as well as dynamite and any improvised, homemade or altered explosive devices such as tennis balls, sparkler bombs or cherry bombs are likewise illegal explosive devices, and those who possess or use such illegal explosive devices can expect to be charged with a felony.

State Fire Marshal Charles Duffy is reminding Washingtonians that the purchase of fireworks over the Internet is illegal. In Washington state, fireworks must be purchased from a licensed retail fireworks stand during the legal sales period. Orders for fireworks cannot be placed over the Internet, or posted on websites such as Craigslist

In its online list of tips to the public, the Arlington Fire Department noted that illegal fireworks are often unpackaged and wrapped in plain brown paper, and warned against purchasing any fireworks that are not in their original packages, or are in opened or damaged packages.

Marysville police are taking enforcement of these laws seriously and will be citing those caught with illegal fireworks between now and the Fourth of July. Under state law, possession or discharge of illegal fireworks is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in jail and a mandatory court appearance. City of Marysville Public Information Officer Doug Buell pointed out that Marysville police can issue criminal citations to violators or civil citations, the latter similar to a standard ticket.

Marysville police may issue a civil infraction, or fine, in an amount up to $500, instead of a criminal citation. The criminal misdemeanor fine is consistent with the standard state penalty of an amount not to exceed $1,000 and/or 90 days in jail. Gross misdemeanor offenses carry a fine of up to $5,000 and/or a year in jail, and a person with three or more civil infractions within a two-year time period will be cited for a misdemeanor.

Marysville Police Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux explained that such civil infractions enable officers to spend more time on the streets responding to fireworks complaints, and less time processing criminal citation paperwork. He added that the safety of individuals and property is the police department’s utmost concern.

“Use caution and follow safety rules for responsible use of fireworks,” Lamoureux said. “Illegal fireworks in particular pose a public safety and medical hazard, and they have the potential to cause property damage in the Marysville area.”

Although Arlington Assistant City Administrator Kristin Banfield believes that Arlington police are more likely to try and educate those using illegal fireworks, or those using fireworks illegally, she warned that, “If they have to make a repeat trip to your place for fireworks, it’ll probably result in a fine.”

Officials in both cities urge Fourth of July holiday revelers to clean up their fireworks after they’re finished.

“After you light it up, clean it up,” Buell said. “Discarded fireworks the days after the Fourth are a neighborhood eyesore, and smoldering, spent fireworks can still pose a fire hazard if not disposed of properly.”

To dispose of spent fireworks properly, the Arlington Fire Department advises that people let their used fireworks lay on the ground until they are cool and there is no chance that any residue will reignite, after which they should place all the expended firework cases in a bucket of water to soak them thoroughly. Those who use fireworks should keep a bucket of water or a running water hose close by in case of a firework malfunction or fire.

“First and foremost, our fire and police chiefs strongly encourage our residents to stay safe by attending the local public displays, such as the one at the Arlington Boys & Girls Club sponsored by the Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce,” Banfield said. “If you do use fireworks, however, only use them as intended, and use common sense. Don’t try to alter them or combine them, and never relight a ‘dud’ firework. Spectators should keep a safe distance from the shooter, and alcohol and fireworks do not mix, so have a ‘designated shooter.’ Only those older than 12 years old should be allowed to handle fireworks, especially sparklers of any type.”

For more information, visit the city of Marysville’s fireworks website at http://marysvillewa.gov/index.aspx?nid=362 and the city of Arlington’s fireworks website at http://arlingtonwa.gov/index.aspx?page=419.

For more information about fireworks safety, public fireworks displays and the fireworks laws for your area, check the Celebrate Safely website at www.wsp.wa.gov/fire/fireworks.htm.

Boom City is open

Visit Tulalip Boom City for your Fourth of July fireworks and fun. With 136 stand, Boom City has something to offer everyone, including food. Boom City is open daily through midnight on July 4th.

Directions:

I-5 North: Take exit 200, take a right at the light follow until you reach 27th and take a right.

I-5 South: Take exit 200, take a left at the light follow until you reach 27th and take a right.

directions