Sheliah Bray and her brother, Cal Bray, work their fireworks stand, Shock & Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! along Anderson Road on the Chehalis Reservation on Monday afternoon.
Brooklyn Coachman, left, talks with his cousin, Ryan Lecher, of Vancouver, about what fireworks to purchase while standing at Snakes and Sparklers fireworks stand along Anderson Road on the Chehalis Reservation on Monday afternoon.
Dan Penn, right, of Snakes and Sparklers fireworks stand along Anderson Road, helps Brooklyn Coachman, left, his uncle, John Lecher, center, and Lecher's son, Ryan, in July 2015.
Sheliah Bray and her brother, Cal Bray, work their fireworks stand, Shock & Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! along Anderson Road on the Chehalis Reservation on Monday afternoon.
Young adults peruse around the dozens fireworks stands along Anderson Road in 2015.
Kids play hacky sack outside of one of the dozens of fireworks stands along Anderson Road on Monday afternoon on the Chehalis Indian Reservation.
Firework sales on the Chehalis Reservation are off to a slower start as blistering temperatures and area burn bans remain in effect, according to some of the tribal members who operate the stands.
The firework stands, located off of Anderson and Moon Roads on the reservation, have been seeing “slow but steady” business, with the hope that sales will pick up closer to Independence Day.
Luwanna Sanchez, of “Lite It Up” firework stand, is in her third year of selling fireworks on the reservation. So far, the days have been slow, but she expected business to pick up between July 1 and July 4, the busiest times for the firework stands.
“This year is a lot slower; I don’t know why,” she said.
Other sellers shared the same sentiments. Carmen Brown of the “Thunderin’ Rose” stand also said it was slow, but said business was picking up day by day.
Dan Penn, of “Snakes and Sparklers,” said the dry weather certainly plays a factor in the amount of sales, but shared the same hope of business picking up as the national holiday approaches.
“We were thankful for the rain the other day, and if it wanted to rain again, we would have been just fine with that,” Penn said of the hot weather.
Although many said business had been less than normal, Cal Bray of “Shock & Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! Fireworks” said Saturday was a busy day, something that was rather unexpected.
“We had a really good weekend,” Bray said, crediting some of the success to the fact that state stands did not open until Sunday. The stands on the reservations were able to open June 1 and can continue selling fireworks from 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. until July 10.
Bray’s family has been selling fireworks on the reservation since the mid-90s and he has experience selling on other reservations before that time.
He said the fire danger and the fact that the tribe has implemented a burn ban puts limitations on where people can light off their supplies. The tribe has created designated areas for people to light off fireworks to help avoid contact with dry fuels in the area.
Other counties have implemented burn bans, although Lewis County’s burn ban is not affected by fireworks.
As customers come in from as far as northern California, Bray said he has been educating people on the potential dangers of lighting fireworks in certain areas.
“We just want to be responsible,” Bray said.
Among the vendors, mortars seemed to be the most popular fireworks sold. An easy rule of thumb for incorporated areas within the counties is that if the firework leaves the ground, it is most likely illegal.
Other popular items were Seahawks fireworks and small cake candles.
