Fourth of July just got quieter

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- One Fourth of July stand will not be selling fireworks

this year.

Instead, the “non-fireworks stand” will sell glowing light sticks,

balls, necklaces and bracelets.

“They are legal everywhere and cool to touch, snap and shake for

instant light,” said Windy Uhach, managing partner for US3 Products LLC,

a Costa Mesa business that is running what might be the first

non-fireworks stand in the city. “We have a boy and a lot of our friends

have children who are afraid of sparklers and the loud noises.”

So the business came up with an alternative that’s safe and lasts

longer than a couple of minutes, the brief duration of most fireworks,

Uhach said, insisting that “we’re not trying to attack fireworks.”

Anne Schultz, assistant city manager, said she has not heard of any

previous non-fireworks stands in the city and that, following a city

tradition, nonprofit groups will run 52 fireworks stands this year as

fund-raisers.

The city has allowed fireworks on the holiday for years, but the sale

of fireworks became controversial in 1999, when the state allowed the

city to sell fireworks for the Millennium celebration on New Year’s Eve.

Costa Mesa was one of 100 cities that allowed the sale of fireworks

for New Year’s Eve. As a result, residents made more than 100 calls to

City Hall and council members’ homes protesting the sale of fireworks.

“The charities made money, we had a little rain and there weren’t any

problems,” Councilman Gary Monahan remembered.

Janice Davidson, chairwoman of Citizens for the Improvement of Costa

Mesa, said she likes fireworks but knows they bother some people.

“We’ve been setting fireworks in front of my house with the whole

block for 16 years now,” she said. “We’ve never had an injury -- not even

a slight burn -- and everybody has a good time. Some people do come to

City Council meetings every year and complain because they don’t like the

noise. I probably wouldn’t either if it weren’t the Fourth of July.”

Monahan said concern about fireworks seems to have died down, however.

“We don’t have any more problems in this city than cities that don’t

have fireworks and, let’s face it, it’s an American tradition,” he said.

“I would say it’s unlikely that the glow stick stands are going to take

business from the fireworks stands. It sounds like a pretty good gimmick,

though.”

Costa Mesa resident Tom Egan said he likes fireworks but has no

problems with glow sticks being offered as well.

“I suppose the glow sticks will appeal to some people because there

are people who are really against fireworks,” Egan said. “I’m a great

proponent of something for everybody, so more power to them if there’s a

populous out there who wants their product.”

Mayor Libby Cowan said she thinks the non-fireworks stand is a

creative and innovative idea.

“I certainly would not be disappointed if that caught on but, at this

point, I don’t favor taking away the fireworks stand opportunity for

anybody. I think we have a very good track record with fireworks.”