Fireworks are expensive but show business returns

John Posey, Left and Chris Henderson on fiberglass launch tubes at the August Estate Boat Airport on July 4, 2013. Before the outbreak, the fourth weekend of July will generate $ 490,000. He said it will spend about $ 850,000 this year. Joe Phelan / Kennebec Journal File

FARMINGDAL – Every weekend, Steve Merson’s drive takes him to the big July 4 weekend on his books.

“We are finishing now. This weekend we have 110 displays in six states, ”Marson said Thursday. At 4 p.m., he sat down for the first time in his office, where he was president of Central Maine Pyrotechnics.

Winter is a busy time for Central Maine Pyrotechnics, but the fourth anniversary of July, with huge fireworks displays, is on its way to becoming a very busy holiday for the company.

Central Maine Pyrotechnics has put on all performances this weekend in Central Maine and New England, including two performances on Monday night in August – one for spectators at the former Stitler mill in Mill Park and one for the boat from the east. Old Fort West 1st Anniversary Park in front of Water Park for spectators from the Quebec River.

This is in stark contrast to what happened two years ago when Marsen saw the $ 1.5 million fireworks display disrupt public meetings in New England and around the country.

“We have new businesses outside the territory,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of shows in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. A lot of the guys in the business are getting old now, and the technicians are small,” he said.

Before the outbreak, the fourth weekend of July will generate $ 490,000. He said it will spend about $ 850,000 this year.

During the fire season, the American Pirotechnical Association issued a warning for the challenges it poses during the fireworks. Like other industries, fireworks are expensive for production, transportation and transportation, labor and insurance, which increase costs by 35 percent.

Those market conditions did not prevent companies in this region from ordering fireworks and asking for larger ones.

Dan Roy, who heads the committee that organizes the annual beach party on the shores of Lake Cohenwagon in Monmouth, said the committee has paid for a small fireworks display this year.

“We always ask for water canons,” Roy said. They were shot and thrown into the water, and a few seconds later it exploded on top of the water.

Marson admits that although the displays are large and working better this year, they are not making more money because of those market conditions. He said that when customers sign a three-year contract, they are generally honoring the price they agreed on or increasing the price slightly. But a $ 3,500 show a few years ago is now worth $ 5,000.

For the past two weeks, he and his staff have been working from 6 a.m. to midnight, designing pyrotechnics and arranging the required fireworks.

And for the first time in five years, he has lost some of his staff. He was on his way to New Hampshire, Connecticut and Portland. But he said he has found a crop of trainees who are training and working to get their licenses for future shows.

“We don’t have enough technicians, so we’re going around the show,” he said.

Marson, who started learning fireworks at the age of 16, owns and operates a fireworks store in the city of Piro, Maine. At the time of the outbreak, open retail stores helped to balance the trade, with many people buying fireworks for their own use, which increased trade by about 30%.

One month ago this year, fireworks were expected to arrive last week, with both sides of the trade delays. Display shells The last container arrived June 24, and the fourth fireworks display is expected to arrive at the fireworks store on Saturday.

“The good side is we got everything we ordered,” he said. “Two weeks was busy.”

“Previous.”

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