Editorial: Suburbs need to plan ahead if tariffs send fireworks prices soaring
NOTE: This editorial has been updated to correct that Kevin Myers is superintendent of Mundelein High School District 120.
Suburban fireworks leading up to July 4 - and stretching a few days beyond it - start Saturday, with displays planned for Wheeling, Grayslake, Carpentersville and other towns. But already there are concerns about next year.
President Donald Trump's latest round of proposed tariffs on $300 billion in imports from China will send the cost of fireworks soaring, industry experts warn.
And some cash-strapped communities will not be able to cover the extra cost.
The American Pyrotechnics Association testified last week before the U.S. Trade Representative, arguing that fireworks should be excluded from new tariffs. Julie L. Heckman, the association's executive director, pointed out that "thousands of nonprofits and small municipalities nationwide" will be affected by a 25 percent tariff.
"Their skies could be dark next Independence Day," she cautioned.
Fireworks were invented in China centuries ago. Currently, 99 percent of backyard fireworks in the U.S. - and 75 percent of the professional ones - come from China, according to Heckman.
Politically, a lot can change in the next few weeks and months, and we're making no specific comment about the merits of fireworks tariffs in general. But, it appears they're coming, and suburban officials who see fireworks as an important part of communitywide summer celebrations should start looking at their options now.
After all, few traditions are as cherished in a community as Fourth of July fireworks.
The displays - free in most suburbs - bring families to local parks and fields to picnic, listen to concerts and ooh and ahh over elaborate bursts of color.
Preserving that, if the latest batch of threatened tariffs are put into play, could take a little creativity on the part of local suburbs. In the next few months, officials should be asking themselves key questions and sifting through alternatives.
Should more neighboring communities, for example, combine their fireworks, as some towns already do?
Should they be seeking additional corporate sponsorships?
Should they be brainstorming fundraisers that could be done in connection with remaining summer events to help raise money for next year?
Yes, fireworks are far from the only products affected by the proposed tariffs, which would hit home in a number of ways. And yes, this national holiday is about far more than dazzling displays of pyrotechnics.
But fireworks have been a part of July 4 festivities since the very first Independence Day celebration in 1777. And few of us would want this beloved Fourth of July tradition to fizzle out.