As the country marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, in New Hampshire, that meant many people put on an extra big home fireworks show this year.
Evan Tremblay stopped at TNT Fireworks in Derry on his way to a party in Lake Sunapee. He said he likes buying his own fireworks because he can customize the display.
“There's no real control and you can switch it up,” he said. “Do whatever you want. Do a bunch of different types.” He said he was doing a bigger display than typical years.
Tremblay wasn’t alone. As he loaded his haul into his trunk, Matt Sharky said he was buying as much stock as he could fit into his car. He bought a variety, but had some old reliables.
“The mortar shells are the best,” he said.
New Hampshire makes consumer fireworks legal to purchase, while our neighbor Massachusetts has some of the strictest fireworks laws in the country, outright banning all consumer fireworks. To the west, Vermont only allows novelty fireworks, like sparklers.
While some like Sharky were buying large aerials, others just stopped by TNT for smaller sparklers, like Michael Pignato. He came to the store with his daughter Aria.
The duo donned matching red, white and blue outfits and sunglasses covered in stars and stripped. They were heading to his sister’s house for a family barbeque, which Michael was excited for.
“I like just spending [the day] with my girls,” he said.
