O'FALLON, Mo. — Joi Nieder leans over to her 3-year-old grandson Braxton Schaeffer, pulling a canister off the table, and asking "All right, Braxton. Do you want the one with the cat on it?"
A nod, and it goes into the basket. Nieder and Schaeffer are shopping early Thursday for fireworks, when the tables are still full, lots of items on the shelves, a clear forecast in the future.
"We know now that the rain is going to be over, and we are having a lot of family barbecues," Shaeffer said.
Supply issues and shipping delays have caused some concern over Independence Day's fireworks supply.
Some eagle-eyed shoppers might notice a change in availability and cost when they head to their local fireworks stand, but Nieder says the small $.75 gunpowder-filled tanks lining the store won't tank the bank.
"I mean we have some big exhibits, but I tend to get all the safe ones, the fountains, and the safe ones for all the kids," she said of the picks her in hands.
Just nine miles east, festival crews are pulling out all the stops as they prepare for huge crowds in O'Fallon this weekend. Organizers have already noticed that website traffic for their three-day festival is up 50% over 2019's numbers.
"It's great," O'Fallon Communications Director Tom Drabelle said. "I think people are just so excited to come back out and have that opportunity to come to a festival like this after the last 18 months. They just can't wait to get out here and do it."
Drabelle says fireworks supply issues won't stunt their show, saying they were "largely unaffected" by the issues.
"We have a long-term contract with a company that we entered into actually the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. So our pricing is set regardless from year to year for the next three years," Drabelle explained.
The city's three-year contract with J&M Displays was approved in 2020 with a cost of $42,150 per year for two displays July 3 and July 4, as well as two nights of annual Celebration of Lights walk-through nights. The cost of the Independence Day fireworks shows is $32,950.
Wentzville officials report a similar multi-year contract. Their supplier ordered the city's fireworks well in advance of this Fourth, but city leaders tell 5 On Your Side they do anticipate they'll see higher estimates during the next round of contract negotiations if their supplier continues to see hard costs rise.
In Kirkwood, Communications Manager Freddy Doss tells 5 On Your Side they typically budget around $16,000 for the fireworks show, most of the money coming from donors. Kirkwood contracts with Starfire Corporation to procure the fireworks and produce the show, and the costs in that contract are capped at $21,500. For 2021, organizers raised $18,700 from community members, businesses, and nearby municipalities. Doss says almost everything about the show will be the same, including the length of the fireworks display.
As Nieder checks out -- a full basket ready for blast off -- she says you can't put a price on getting people together again after a year of social distancing.
"Bye everyone," Braxton says as he grips fireworks longer than he is tall.
"All right, let's go," Schaeffer says as they head out.