Every year, inflatable animals, firecracker mascots and neon-hued signs appear along North Lake County’s interstates and highways as summer peaks.
With the Fourth of July and the celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday approaching on Saturday, thousands are packing into the aisles of Northwest Indiana’s fireworks stores to get their pyrotechnic fill.
Nate Odtallah, co-owner of “Rock the Sky Fireworks” at 7509 Calumet Ave. in Hammond, said he and his family have been in the fireworks business for more than 30 years. The business is among three fireworks shops concentrated around the first exit off Interstate 94 coming from Illinois into Indiana.
Odtallah said he and his family have developed a reputation for being local fireworks experts.
“There are some customers who spend five figures here year after year,” Odtallah said. “We’re a family business, so we take care of everyone like they’re family. We take a lot of time researching the best that’s out there and go to a lot of trade shows and conventions. I think that’s what separates us from everywhere else.”
Stores advertising explosive bargains come to a sudden end at the Illinois border, where most consumer fireworks are banned. Illinois is one of three states that have banned most or all fireworks, along with Massachusetts and Vermont, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.
The Illinois sales ban boosts sales in bordering states, with Indiana bringing in an estimated $2.5 million a year in tax revenue from fireworks, according to The Illinois Policy Institute.
Luis Reyes, of Alsip, Illinois, filled up his cart in the packed aisles of Dynamite Fireworks at 4218 Calumet Ave. in Hammond for a special occasion.
“My son’s going into the Air Force in a couple months; it’s a big accomplishment and we’re planning a family barbecue. I’m probably going a little overboard. …He doesn’t know about this, so this is going to be a surprise.”
Reyes said he feels the ban in his home state is outdated.
“As long as you do it in a respectful manner on your own property, I don’t see what the problem is,” he said.
Another shopper, Najia Salem, of Chicago, agreed.
“It’s like going to a concert. People want to enjoy the music and have a good time,” Salem said. “A fireworks show is the same type of thing. It’s beautiful, everyone’s together. People should be able to be a part of that.”
The Illinois Pyrotechnic Act was passed in 1942, banning the use, transportation and sale of fireworks, allowing only small novelties such as sparklers. Even sky lanterns, a type of balloon that uses fire to propel itself upward, are banned.
There are some allowable fireworks for purchase in Illinois, including cones, which emit showers of sparks, fountains and repeaters, also known as cakes. Mines, comets, tubes, shells and parachutes are also legal, according to the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.
Exceptions include municipalities hosting public displays, but only if they are permitted by local jurisdiction. Only a total of 686 people in all of Illinois are licensed to use explosives for display fireworks in Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Dynamite Fireworks Manager Miranda Panos said she remembers a time when police cars would lurk near the stateline searching for Illinois vehicles stashed with fireworks.
“Once upon a time, police would sit on the state line and confiscate people’s fireworks,” Panos said. “They don’t do that anymore.”
Panos said Dynamite Fireworks is a family-owned business that has been one of the longest-standing fireworks stores in the Hammond area.
“Many of our customers are from Illinois, since we are located right off the Skyway,” Panos said. “People from Illinois still want to celebrate.”
Panos said the business, which carries more than 500 different items, has expanded into delivery, where customers can order online and get fireworks shipped to their home.
For Odtallah and his family business, he said the demand for fireworks has steadily grown over the years, allowing them to expand their business to two buildings.
“We are even open to stay year-round, where people buy from us before and after the Fourth of July,” Odtallah said. “People come to us for weddings, prom, gender reveals and special occasions.”
Anna Ortiz is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
