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Fourth of July skies are

Since consumer-grade fireworks were legalized in 2012, fireworks sales have grown each year with more sellers and stores popping up around the holiday.

With the dry weather wrench thrown into the equation this year, some Michigan communities have issued burning bans to prevent fires that might get out of control, telling residents not to set off fireworks due to dry conditions, the Associated Press reported this week. Some metro Detroit cities have banned fireworks as the area is under “extreme” fire danger, according to the Department of Natural Resources. The state’s fire marshal was considering a statewide firework ban.

In Midland, a city at the center of a region where fire dangers range from “very high” to “extreme,” retailers say the threats haven’t stunted sales.

The Cassadays have pitched a tent near Eastman Avenue and Wackerly Street for the past 16 years. Donna Cassaday helps her son, Brian, whom she said has been in the business about 25 years and has had a love for the explosives since he was a kid. They opened the Midland tent this year on June 24 and have tents in Newaygo and West Branch.

“These are red, white and blue and they’ll go as high as the trees,” Donna Cassaday said on Thursday, walking among tables of firecrackers, bottle rockets, Roman candles, fountain and cake fireworks.

Cassaday said they’ve seen the regulars but also a lot of new customers coming in. The biggest seller is a single shot firework launched from a cylinder, which she said should be propped and secured before lighting. A collage of photos on the back of the 24-pack box illustrates colorful explosions.

“We sell out of these every year,” Cassaday said. “They’ve got a heck of a bang. They give a good show.”

At Washington Street and Patrick Road, Chad Sponseller’s setup is hard to miss: the large red- and white-striped tent bears the company logo “FRedneck Fireworks,” named after his father, Fred. The Mount Pleasant-based store, with outlets in Midland, Farwell and Weidman, buys mostly Black Cat products from a warehouse in Indiana, Sponseller said.

Like the Cassadays, Sponseller said he’s seen a lot of repeat customers. Monday was the busiest day so far, he said, with over $1,200 in sales. Bigger crowds were expected this weekend.

Fireworks makers market their brands with aggressive, palpable names: “Totally Jacked;” “Bangin’ Hard;” “Highway to Hell.” At FRedneck’s, the top selling firework is the Black Cat Diablo mortar, Sponseller said.

“I agree with most of the names,” he said. “I like it when it goes boom and you can feel it.’Jacked Up’ — it’s ridiculous. It jacks you up.”

For safety, he said he tells people to set off the fireworks in an open area with a gravel base.

Both retailers have low-impact and novelty fireworks, like sparklers and Whipper Snappers. There are at least seven other licensed retailers registered to sell fireworks in Midland County, including The Greek’s Arsenal of Fireworks on the Circle, Meijer, Walmart and Phantom Fireworks near the mall. Find more retailers in Midland and other counties here: http://bit.ly/29aDDmG.

The Michigan Fireworks Safety Act of 2011 legalized the sale and use of consumer fireworks, including Roman candles, bottle rockets and firecrackers.

State law also prohibits people from launching fireworks on public property and schools. You must be at least 18 to purchase consumer-grade fireworks. Retailers must register with Michigan’s Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

The state changed the law in 2013, allowing local municipalities to prohibit fireworks usage between midnight and 8 a.m. during 10 protected national holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, George Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Midland City Council took advantage of the added enforcement, amending a city ordinance to read: “The ignition, discharge or use of consumer fireworks between the hours of 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. on the day preceding, the day of, or the day after a national holiday is strictly prohibited.”

The Beaverton City Council recently adopted a similar ordinance to limit the use of consumer-grade fireworks.

“There will be no more lighting them in Ross Lake Park,” Beaverton Police Chief Brad Davis said. “They are limited to private property.”

The ordinance stemmed from problems in previous years.

“Last year we had a couple of different incidents at the park, people not being safe with them,” Davis said. “We’ve had complaints about them throughout the year.”

• $31 million: Fireworks sales reported to Michigan’s Licensing and Regulatory Affairs agency in 2015

• That’s a 77 percent increase since 2013, when the total was $17.5 million

• $25,000: Amount the Midland City Council approved to spend for the city’s fireworks display this year — a $10,000 increase

• 11: Fireworks-related deaths in 2014, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Seven victims died from direct impact of fireworks

• 10,500: Fireworks-related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2014

• Sparklers, which can reach 1,800 degrees ­— hot enough to melt gold — and rockets accounted for 1,400 of those injuries

• 5 to 9: Ages accounting for the highest estimated rate of emergency department-treated fireworks injuries

the skies will be lit

• The Midland Fourth of July Fireworks will be launched at dusk Monday from Chippewassee Park. The event features music from Ray Kamalay and his Red Hot Peppers (jazz) at 5 p.m. and Magic Bus (oldies) at 8 p.m. at Chippewassee Park. Organizers are promising a bigger show due to an increased budget.

For more info, http://bit.ly/1dvCYvw

• The Sanford Lake Association will also launch fireworks at dusk from the Community of Christ Campground on July 4. Fireworks are simulcast on FM 107.5.

For more info, www.sanfordlakeassociation.org/fireworks

• Gladwin County — Beaverton’s fireworks take place at dusk Monday from Ross Lake Park. There will also be a Fourth of July parade at 11 a.m.

For more info, www.beavertononline.com

• Saginaw County — The Saginaw Area Fireworks take place at dusk from Ojibway Island. For more info and donation info, www.saginawareafireworks.com

Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.

• Avoid buying fireworks that are packaged in brown paper because this is often a sign that the fireworks were made for professional displays and that they could pose a danger to consumers.

• Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities. Parents don’t realize that young children suffer injuries from sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees — hot enough to melt some metals.

• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.

• Never try to relight or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.

• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.

• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy in case of fire or other mishap.

• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.

• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them off in metal or glass containers.

• After fireworks complete their burning, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding it to prevent a trash fire.

• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before buying or using them.