Pocono News Section

4th of July Celebration Costs Climb

4th of July Celebration Costs Climb - Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 3:50PM EST

Reported by: Dave Skutnik
Tuesday, Jul 1, 2008 @ 03:50pm EST
NEW MILFORD TWP., SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY- It's going to cost us all a lot more to celebrate the fourth this year. Food, fuel and fireworks are all more expensive. And it's taking its toll on businesses that are usually booming at this time of year.

For many the Fourth of July is about one thing - the fireworks. And many are gearing up. License plates from all over the East Coast were spotted at Spectacular Fireworks in New Milford Township Tuesday. Whether from New York, New Jersey or Connecticut – even North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia, they come from far and wide to Pennsyvlania this time of year to load up on fireworks.

Most don't care whether it's legal or illegal to buy and move fireworks. But they do care that it's costing them more to do it. "They've creeped up like everything else," said Bruce Wachtel of New Jersey.

Yoavi Agbossoumond of Syracuse, New York, said, "It went up, yeah. It went up but what are you gonna do?"

Spectacular Fireworks operator Joe Monteforte explains, "Like every other commodity they've gone up 20 and 30%. We've definitely seen a decrease in sales because of the economy and so forth."

Monteforte blames the sagging value of the U. S. dollar in China for the soaring cost of fireworks. Couple that with rising gas prices, and that means sagging sales. "Of course nobody's going to drive 2-3 hours to purchase fireworks," he added.

Those we talked to say they don't mind the drive. They come back year after year - and won't let rising prices halt their holiday fun. "We do it every year. Haven't stopped. We just continue on, we'll do it again next year and the year after," said Randy Katola of Manassus, Virginia.

"When it comes to seeing family you pay the gas price and off you go," added Wachtel.

"I think I'm paying too much but I have to do it to have fun with my family and stuff like that. So it's still worth it," said Agbossoumond.