FILLMORE : They Get a Bang Out of Buying for the Fourth

For 25-year-old Armando Hernandez, buying fireworks is nearly as thrilling as shooting them off.

“It has become a ritual to me. I come to Fillmore and shop for fireworks every year,” the Santa Paula resident said, stacking five boxes of assorted fireworks in a bag. “I try to stop at every booth so I can help everyone.”

Hernandez is one of thousands of Ventura County residents who will flock to Fillmore in the next week to buy fireworks.

Lined along California 126, 23 nonprofit organizations including churches, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Lions Club have set up booths that opened at noon Wednesday and will close at noon July 5.

Fillmore is the only city in Ventura County that allows the sale and detonation of fireworks.

“This is the biggest fund-raising event of the year,” said Hank Carrillo, director of the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce. “Many local organizations depend on the money they raise this week to fund their programs. I don’t think many of the local groups could make it without selling the fireworks.”

Indeed, nearly every organization in town paid $300 to obtain a permit that allows them to operate out of the metal booths along a two-mile stretch of the highway.

Last year the 20 nonprofit groups that sold fireworks raised $255,000, according to city records.

“We are thankful that the city allows us to put this event together. If we did not have this, I don’t think we could keep the band going,” said Bill Faith, a parent who helped to organize the booth for Fillmore High School.

Last year, volunteers at the high school booth sold $20,278 in fireworks. After paying the merchandise, tax and permit fees, the group took home $5,865, a large part of that for the school band, city records show.

It all began shortly after World War II when the Fillmore City Council passed a resolution allowing the city to sell fireworks during the week before Independence Day, said Pat Askren, Fillmore fire chief.

Fireworks are banned everywhere else in Ventura County and it is a misdemeanor under state law to possess fireworks in an area where their sale is prohibited. Penalties can be as high as a $1,000 fine or six months in jail, Askren said.

Fillmore is one of 83 cities in California to sell fireworks, Askren said.