You have reached our free-content limit. If you are a current subscriber, please log in to continue viewing content or purchase a subscription by clicking the Subscribe button below. Thank you for supporting independent Journalism.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.

Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

You have reached our free-content limit. If you are a current subscriber, please log in to continue viewing content or purchase a subscription by clicking the Subscribe button below. Thank you for supporting independent Journalism.

You have reached our free-content limit. Please purchase a subscription by clicking the Subscribe button below. Thank you for supporting independent Journalism.

Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.

Plentiful sunshine. High 93F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

A few passing clouds. Low around 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.

B&L Discount Fireworks is a family business from the Bowling Green/Louisiana area that has been setting up outside of Hannibal for 32 years. 

B&L Discount Fireworks is a family business from the Bowling Green/Louisiana area that has been setting up outside of Hannibal for 32 years. 

HANNIBAL — Brent Newman first sold fireworks as a young boy from a small stand along the highway in his parents backyard in Kansas.

Now he and his wife Linda are on their 32nd year traveling from their home between Bowling Green and Louisiana, Mo. selling fireworks from a tent outside of Hannibal along Hwy. 61 at B&L Discount Fireworks.

Purchasing fireworks for the tent is something that the Newmans spend most of the year doing. Attending shows in the fall or spring they see what’s new and what each item they order looks like when it’s set off. They also provide videos in the tent of their products to allow customers to also see what they are buying.

“We like to see things before we buy it to make sure it’s good enough to put on the shelf,” Brent said.

They begin ordering items from China as early as the fall through a broker. He said even then, some things don’t arrive until a few days before the tent opens. He said items they need 100 boxes of or less of are purchased through wholesalers, which can be found around the country.

“It’s a challenge every year to try to get all the products you need,” Brent said.

They have also experienced a major price increase in the last two years due to shipping; a container of fireworks that was once $10,000 now costs $40,000. The shipping price of each firework depends on how much space it takes up in the container.

Brent said that several fireworks companies have been condensing the size of their fireworks in order to reduce shipping cost, which allows the price at the tent to be affordable.

One of those brands is Pyro Diablo which was released last year. Brent called them “exceptionally good” at making smaller cakes that shoot just as good and provide a display as full as the bigger ones. The box he pointed out was $20.

He said another good example is Saturn Missile which originally had 750 shots and would have been around $130 on the shelf. The company has now created a condensed version of the firework that increases the shots to 960 missiles at half the price of the previous product.

“They just really started doing that this year because the price of shipping is ridiculous,” Brent said. “The more space it takes in the container, the higher the shipping is on that particular item.”

B&L Discount Fireworks has returned to Hannibal as a family business each year for more than three decades, and the Newmans have made many friends in the process.

“We have gained some real friends in these 32 years and it’s incredible how many people keep returning every year,” said Linda. “It’s just really awesome that people keep coming back and are loyal to us as friends.”

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.