With two days to go before New Year's Eve, Acadiana is ready to welcome 2011 with a bang!
The night sky will be lit-up with these combustible wonders but it all starts in the fireworks store.
"The girls like the sparklers." Shopper Mark Gonzalez says "and we like the artillery shells."
When asked what his favorite bang was, youngster Jackson Pryor screamed, "The big ones!" His sidekick, Mamie Rose stated her opinion, "smoke bombs." Pryor reiterated, "I like the big ones," as he made a sound resembling the bang of a firecracker.
"It's even bigger than the Fourth of July," Store Owner Scott Moutz said.
Moutz has been selling these festive explosives for more than a decade and every year, New Year's Eve rakes in the most money.
"I'd have to say 60% comes on New Year's." Moutz says, "and of that (60%), 40% on one day- New Year's Eve."
Fireworks sales on New Year's Eve alone account for more than half the store's yearly profits but whenever you're dealing with a warning label stating, "WARNING: shoots flaming balls," safety comes first.
"We want to give everyone a warning." Lafayette Firefighter Alton Trahan says, "to be very safe with these items."
Every year, the Lafayette Fire Department gets dozens of calls on New Year's Eve; fires started by fireworks.
"Make sure you at least have a water hose or a fire extinguisher nearby." Trahan says, "just in case there's a small fire."
A fire that could cost you more in damages than what you paid at the store.

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