Drought affects everybody: Fireworks vendors see steep decline in sales during drought, burn ban.
Norris Marx, owner of Norris Hotshot Fireworks, said the drought has really hurt their sales this summer.
Marx has been selling fireworks for eight years and said this has been the worst year he has seen so far.
While they have had people still buying, Marx said they’re asking everybody to not light them off and wait until New Years.
… We need everybody to pray for rain.” He said he believes that the potential consequences people could face for lighting them has served as a deterrent for people even purchasing fireworks.
… The punishment doesn’t maybe really fit the crime.” Marx said people in the area have been very cautious about the decisions they are making when it comes to fireworks and the burn ban.
“I definitely did not think we’d been in a drought or a fire ban.” While Braun sells fireworks for a hobby, he said he knows a lot of people who depend on the sales for part of their livelihood.
“I know a lot of people that that’s all they do, they sell fireworks and that’s their income for the year,” he said.
It’s always a risk.” However, Marx knows the drought affects much more than just fireworks sales.
He believes his business has already been hurt by the city of Dickinson not allowing fireworks sales within the city, so he does not want people to panic next year if conditions get dry quickly and cause a burn ban to go into effect.