I’m always looking for something new to do. Some new way to make money. Four years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to run a retail fireworks tent for a nationally recognized fireworks company for the ten days leading up to, and including, July 4th. By myself. Well, not entirely by myself. Sometimes my then-2- (almost 3-) year old daughter would be with me. This was under a 20′ x 40′ tent set up in the parking lot of a shopping center in Bethlehem, PA. I had a storage container parked nearby, where all of the inventory had to be double-locked overnight. Yes, that means that all of the displays had to be set up every morning, and taken down every night.

My mother was kind enough to watch the bookstore while I had my firecracker adventures, so, for ten days in late June and early July, I spent twelve to fifteen hours a day in a parking lot peddling petty explosives. I only had those fireworks that were termed “safe and sane”: sparklers and other novelties, and fountains that shot effects no higher than 10′ off the ground. Safe and sane. Many times, though, I was approached by folks interested in either buying or selling much louder and much more dangerous pyrotechnics.

My favorite was the guy who came by the tent at about 9:30 AM on a Thursday morning, while I was still setting up for my first day of sales. He drove his big black 4WD pickup truck right up to the tent (next to my storage container which was packed with explosives), leaned out his window, and said, “I’m looking for boom-boom.”

“I beg your pardon?”

He takes a swig of his beer and tries again: “I’m looking for boom-boom.”

“Sir, I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking for, but the answer’s NO.”

I sold fireworks to all sorts of people, in all sorts of weather. There were days when it was windy, and my wares rolled right off the tables. There were days when it rained and a small river ran straight across the floor of the tent. There were days when it was breezy and sunny and just gloriously beautiful. There was the day with the tornado watch. When I saw actual circular motion happening in the low grey clouds above my parking lot, I dropped the sides down on the tent, buttoned it up tight, and ran to my little red car parked beside the storage container full of explosives. I thought it would be unlikely for the car to be picked up by the wind if it was next to the container. Though, I knew that if I was wrong, things could go very badly very quickly. That was either a good idea or a very-not-good idea. Luckily it turned out well.

All in all, the experience was great, though it was also throughly exhausting; not only did I work long hours at the tent for the better part of two weeks, but also I went straight in to throwing my daughter’s birthday party on July 5th. Another not-good idea that turned out rather well. So well, in fact, that I ran that same tent again the following year.