Fireworks Sales No Dud in Fillmore : Holiday: Nonprofit groups are preparing for an onslaught of buyers from all over the region. But the merchandise is illegal anyplace else in Ventura County.

It’s an annual ritual in Fillmore.

All along California 126, shacks of wood and wire mesh are going up, preparing for a seven-day onslaught of fireworks buyers from all over Ventura County.

Rows of booths staffed with volunteers from churches, service clubs and youth groups will spring to life as the sale of Fourth of July fireworks becomes legal at noon Tuesday in one tiny corner of the county.

It is a tradition that Fillmore has endorsed for decades, pumping tens of thousands of dollars into the coffers of local organizations.

But the sparklers, bottle rockets and pinwheels that will light up the sky in Fillmore throughout the holiday weekend are illegal anyplace else in Ventura County.

Fire officials are dutifully reminding residents that fireworks they buy in Fillmore cannot legally be ignited elsewhere. But Fillmore vendors recognize that many of their customers come from outside the city.

“We get people not only from Ventura County, but all over the region,” said Hank Carrillo, head of the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce. “I had one lady contact me from the San Fernando Valley. Some of them have been coming down here for years.”

For most of the city’s nonprofit organizations, fireworks week is the largest fund-raiser of the year.

“When you have a small town like Fillmore and you have as many organizations as we do, it’s very difficult to raise a significant amount of money,” said Noreen Withers, city clerk in the town of 12,000.

“The money that the fireworks bring in is, in some cases, the entire budget for some of the smaller booths,” she said. “That’s why it’s limited to nonprofit groups because all the money goes back into the community.”

Twenty-one organizations--more than ever--have received permission from Fillmore city officials to sell fireworks from the temporary booths.

“It raises about a quarter of our budget every year,” said Lawrence Faulkner, who volunteers as president of the Fillmore Boys & Girls Club.

“It’s hard to get support from the same small group of people for everything,” said Faulkner, whose club sponsors after-school recreation and tutoring programs for 300 or more youths. “This way, everybody gets to buy some fireworks, have some fun, and they end up supporting the club.”

Fire and law enforcement officials say it is a misdemeanor under state law to possess fireworks in an area where they are not allowed to be sold. Penalties can range as high as a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, said Sandi Wells of the Ventura County Fire Protection District.

But the Sheriff’s Department doesn’t follow people home from the Fillmore fireworks stands.

“Usually we just respond to complaints of fireworks,” said Lt. Michael Gullon. “If it’s a little child, we talk to the parents. But when you have someone with a ton of them, we do cite them.”

Gullon said the Sheriff’s Department will have extra patrols at beaches and parks during the holiday weekend.

Thousands of people across the country fall victim to fireworks accidents every year, Wells said. More than 220 of those occurred in California last year, with nearly one-third of the injuries were to children under 10 years old.

In Ventura County alone, five injuries and 20 fires were attributed to fireworks last year, many of which were the result of misuse of the legal fireworks known as the “Safe and Sane” brand sold in Fillmore, Wells said.

But those who organize the fireworks sales say they could not fund their activities without the weeklong fund-raisers.

“We’re able to put more than 400 boys and young men off the streets and into a sports activity that bases its purposes on developing character and good citizenry,” said Bill Faith, a board member of the Fillmore Little League.

“The one way we’re able to do that, and keep our costs down, is by being able to offer the people of this community fireworks,” he said.

Local officials welcome the influx of people who show up for a city- and Chamber of Commerce-sponsored fireworks show.

At nightfall on July 4, a fireworks show will be presented at the Fillmore High School football field. It is the culmination of a three-day festival known as the Sespe Creek Chili Cookoff and Car Show.

“It’s a free show where people come to enjoy the music and the fireworks,” said Carrillo of the Fillmore chamber.

“On the same day we have a chili cook-off in Central Park and a car show that usually draws 10,000 or more people over the weekend,” Carrillo said. “And there will be train rides to and from Santa Paula all day Saturday, Sunday and on the Fourth.”

Fillmore City Councilman Roger Campbell said people have been shooting off fireworks in his city ever since he could remember, but there have been few complaints.

“The last person that came and requested the City Council not allow fireworks to be sold in Fillmore was about 20 years ago,” said Campbell, who also doubles as the assistant volunteer fire chief.

That person, who failed to sway the council, was George Campbell, the councilman’s father.

“He had just become the new fire chief and felt it was his duty to recommend they be outlawed,” his son explained.

FYI

Fireworks sales become legal at noon on Tuesday in Fillmore, the only Ventura County city that allows the sparklers and other non-explosive fireworks to be sold around July 4. Twenty-one organizations will be selling fireworks between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily in booths along California 126. Fireworks can be bought and set off between noon on Tuesday and noon on Wednesday, July 5. Purchasers must be 16 years old, and it is illegal to set off fireworks outside the city.