Fireworks: A Summer Audio Postcard

Throughout the summer, New Hampshire Public Radio is airing audio postcards of various summer time activities. This weekend, many people will be setting off their own personal backyard fireworks displays.

NHPR's Josh Rogers visited Champney's Fireworks in Bow. The roadside store has been selling pyrotechnic fountains and roman candles for over twenty years. It's become a regular stop for locals as well as vacationers from Rhode Island, New York and the other places people leave to spend a few days here.

Champney's is open year round but the fourth of July is their busiest time. Nationally, fireworks sales have been going up. This has prompted groups like the National Fire Protection Association to warn families against using them. But while the use of fireworks has increased, the number of injuries they cause has dropped dramatically.

The proper use of fireworks came up often as Josh Rogers toured the store.