Your money goes to a special place after buying fireworks

As you’re going off to celebrate with fireworks in the sky this weekend, you might be stopping at the firework stand to buy some. But you may have wondered where your money goes after you buy them.

It seems like in Pocatello, some stands sell fireworks to raise money for a cause. Others do it as part of a family business.

“This year, we’re doing this event to see how profitable it will be to raise money for the Century athletes that can’t maybe come up with their fees, their sports packages or whatever they need to come up with,” said Calli Hobson, TNT Fireworks on 2nd Ave, Pocatello.

“This is our 30th anniversary. We stared this business 30 years ago. I’m from Texas where I worked in the oil company. When we moved here, we didn’t have jobs are anywhere to stay that’s when we started selling fireworks. So, we’ve done this before-selling for people. And then we started our own,” said Kelly Willie, American Fireworks, Alameda and Yellowstone Ave.

Coming from a hard earned history, Willie says he has a family member at every one of his stands around town. He says it’s a family business and the money keeps them going with the biggest stands of fireworks and the whole she-bang.

“For example, I have a son who’s a veteran, he’s in the Pine Ridge Mall plaza behind Panera bread at another one of our firework stands. He has six children at home,” said Willie.

He says during the year, they all have jobs, but the firework business helps them pay for important life events now.

The Pocatello Fire Dept. wants to remind everyone to keep fireworks away from children and pets on the 4th of july.