Fireworks enthusiasts are driving to multiple states to piece together enough product for a decent backyard display for friends and family.
Americans rushing out to buy fireworks for the Fourth of July this year are going to find a limited selection and higher prices — or empty shelves.
Jason Lewis, a retired tattoo artist in Oklahoma, said he normally puts on shows up to an hour long in an annual backyard barbecue gathering of about 50 family and friends July 4. This year, he drove through three states and, spending a little less than last year, was only able to amass about half as much.
“We try to do our best to try to absorb some of the costs,” he said. “In some cases, we’re paying more for the freight than the product.” Fireworks face unique shipping issues because only a handful of shipping lines currently accept them. Of them, only so many ships are available — and of those ships, only a limited portion of their cargo space can be allocated to material classified as hazardous, such as fireworks.
Shipping containers full of fireworks are waiting tantalizingly offshore, especially the heavily backed-up California port of Long Beach, industry experts say, where some containers wait as long as 60 days to be offloaded. But even then, it can be another 100 days until drivers pick them up, said Ed Vasel, vice president of the National Fireworks Association, an industry trade group.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
White House says US will fall short of July 4th vaccination goalsThe White House has acknowledged that the US will fall short of President Biden's July Fourth Covid-19 vaccination goals, saying the country has more work to do to get younger Americans vaccinated, particularly 18- to 26-year-olds
Read more »
Here’s everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in July 2021Chris Pratt tries to save the world in 'The Tomorrow War,' while Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum return to find the next great fashion designer
Read more »
Here’s what’s coming to Hulu in July 2021, and what’s leavingJuly's Hulu highlights include the music documentaries 'McCartney 3,2,1' and 'Summer of Soul,' as well as movies such as 'Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar' and 'Bill & Ted Face the Music.'
Read more »
White House to concede it's likely to miss July 4 vaccination targetJeffrey Zients, the head of the WH COVID-19 response team, is slated to announce that the administration has hit its 70% vaccination target among Americans ages 30 and older, and is poised to reach that threshold for those 27 and older by the 4th of July
Read more »
American Airlines cancels 950 July flights, with its workforce stretched thinAmerican Airlines dropped about 1% of its scheduled daily flights for July because of crew shortages.
Read more »
How to watch Fourth of July fireworks this yearHere's how to watch a few of the country's biggest celebrations.
Read more »