What’s so great about fireworks? I asked vendors at Tacoma’s Firecracker Alley for answers
I have never understood the appeal of fireworks. I have never set any off myself. I do recall late nights lying in bed, either the week of Independence Day or New Year’s Eve, stuffing my ears into my pillow as pops and cracks echoed in the night. I’ve never been keen on loud noises.
Something else that has muddied my perception of fireworks is how they’re marketed. I remember mistaking the colorful packaging and illustrations for candy and toys as a kid. I only remembered this recently when I visited Firecracker Alley in Tacoma, a Puyallup tribal fireworks sales venue in Tacoma.
This year it features over 100 fireworks stands and 20 food concession stands, and is open from about midday until 10 p.m. every day from now through the Fourth of July. On Saturday, July 1, the venue is hosting a free fireworks show that starts at dusk.
I figured since I don’t understand the culture surrounding fireworks that I should talk with folks who do.
What’s so great about fireworks?
Just a few days ahead of the Fourth of July 2023, I toured Firecracker Alley, which is touted as one of the premier fireworks stand groups in Washington state. The venue, located next to Commencement Bay Cannabis store at 3509 East 72nd St., is run by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.
The first thing that struck me is how welcoming and enthusiastic vendors were. The sellers I spoke to were happy to answer any question I had, even if I had no idea what questions I should be asking. The first vendor I spoke to began describing her merchandise, what cakes, fountains and artillery shells she had available.
I asked, “What is a cake?” She told me that these kinds of fireworks are essentially a set of multi-shot bursts that fire into the air one after the other.
Every vendor had a unique product selection, from kid-friendly sparklers, firecrackers up to bulkier explosives. The packaging, again, reminded me of how off-put I felt as a child realizing that colorful red long package weren’t Nerds Candy Ropes, but instead a sparkler.
Aside from the creative and sometimes confusing use of branded images like the cartoon character Spongebob on packaging, I was intrigued to learn about what fireworks mean to the vendors selling them. I got a different answer from each person I asked.
One vendor, Kyegar Deford, said each firework has its own character, from the sound it makes to the tempo of its show. As an adult, Deford said he finds pleasure in experiencing fireworks for the unique shows they provide. But in his youth, the explosives appealed to him for other reasons.
“It was almost like, ‘let’s just see what happens,’” Deford said about playing with fireworks as a child. That surprise factor, of not knowing what you’re going to see after lighting the fuse, is what hooked him.
To others, running a stand helps bring in supplemental income for the summer. It also allows vendors to see other community members they haven’t seen all year. This is true for Liz Satiacum, who was present with her daughter, also named Liz, who spoke with me at her family stand. Her and her family are members of the Puyallup tribe.
For most of the year, Satiacum teaches native studies within the Yelm School District. She has also been selling fireworks for over 20 years. To her, fireworks are emblematic of celebration.
“It’s about giving back,” Satiacum said. “Because everyone wants a celebration, and everyone deserves to celebrate.”
Tribal pride
When people think of holidays they associate with fireworks, Independence Day arises as the obvious answer. Another vendor, Ruth Garcia Joyce, said she thinks of independence, too. But instead of the 18th century, she is reminded of an event that happened over 200 years later.
“We know 1776,” Garcia Joyce said. But to her, fireworks are a reminder of the late 1970s, a time when Native Americans nationwide fought for sovereignty. She is particularly reminded of the Longest Walk, an event that took place in July 1978 where hundreds of Natives Americans mobilized from California to Washington D.C. to advocate for their rights.
To Garcia Joyce, fireworks are about community, celebrating one’s cultural heritage and achievements, whether it’s the American Revolution or the United Nations officially recognizing the International Indian Treaty Council.
