Sparklers Are Illegal?

By Jacy Wojcik in News on Jul 3, 2008 4:18PM

Ya know those boxes of your favorite childhood hand-held firework, sparklers, you just picked up for tonight's festivities? Yeah, they're illegal. Last September the City Council passed an amendment adding sparklers to the list of banned fireworks. If this is the first you've heard about it, you're not alone. Despite the ban, sparklers are still easy to obtain and sold at stores around the area (Izzy Rizzy's Trick Shop and a few local K-Mart stores to name a few), as many store managers are not even aware the amendment was passed.

"Kmart's fireworks vendor was not aware that the city of Chicago had specifically banned the sale of sparklers," said Kimberly Freely, spokeswoman for Sears Holdings.

When informed of the ban, stores immediately pulled the dangerous wands of fire off their shelves, keeping Chicago spark-free this Fourth. OK, we get that sparklers can be dangerous for children and drunk or clumsy people but sometimes responsible adults sitting safely in a chair want to play with them too. So here's how to make them at home. Happy strontium nitrate hunting. [S-T]

Photo by: Tom Olliver