Family

It's easy for the novice to get overwhelmed when venturing into a fireworks stand for the first time.

Not since Fort McClellan closed has so much unexploded artillery been collected under one roof. But rather than boring old military shells of gray and green, these local rockets come decorated in a Skittles rainbow of colors — all wrapped nice and tight in a package of cellophane and sporting enticing warning labels like, "Caution! Shoots flaming balls."

Like that's a bad thing.

Still, for the inexperienced fireworks buyer, being bombarded by so many options and exclamation points can easily lead to disorientation, leading one to wander aimlessly among the bins of bombs with total disregard to cost or concussion.

So the best way to avoid losing one's head — not to mention other vital body parts — in this pre-Fourth of July fireworks buying bonanza is to have a plan, suggests Debbie Smith, co-owner of Jolly Joe's fireworks in Oxford.

"It's best to decide — do you want ground stuff, like firecrackers, or things that explode in the air," she says. "And then it's a matter of how much you want to spend.

"It's about half-and-half as far as people coming in. Some know what they want, while others come in to look around."

Whether its aerials, firecrackers, sparklers, fountains and cones, Roman candles, rockets and missles, torpedoes, re-loadable shells, festival balls, cherry bombs, bottle rockets or Snap 'n' Pops, those with a hankerin' for things that go BOOM are limited only by their budget and their neighbors' patience.

But for those with less experience, particularly families, Smith suggests the fireworks packages. These offer one-stop-shopping for those with neither the time nor the attention span to spare.

"It's all in one box," Smith says. "Everything you need is right there."

At Jolly Joe's one such bomb box contains: one fountain, two packs of firecrackers, three combos, four Roman candles, six multi-aerials, six specialty items and six reloads — all for $64.99.

There are other packages — some with more, some with less — that fall along everyone's price range.

But the most bang for the buck comes from what are known as "cake" items. These offer more complex, self-contain blasts and bursts all connected to a single fuse …just light it and run. These can contain upwards of 25 shots or more and hold as much as 500 grams of combustible powder — all the law will allow.

"Cake items are great for those who like the pretty stuff and the loud bangers," Smith says. "These really put on a show — lights up the sky and makes an incredibly loud noise."

Some are fun just to say, so imagine what happens when they blow up:

Riding Shotgun ($39.99), Wild Bear ($21.99), Fast Action ($34.99), Drinker of the Wind ($18.99) and Wicked Cool ($79.99) are but a few. The Megabanger Howling Tiger, which sells for $15.99, comes armed with 25 shots and promises "silver whistling tails with bursts of red and purple peony crackles."

For those hoping for something a bit smaller and less … explosive there are also some cute options — Snap 'n' Pops are two packs for a dollar, a package of smoke bombs cost $3.99, then there are the lady bugs, tanks and Ground Blossoms, which run about two or three bucks.

"We got just about everything for every kind of taste," Smith says.

That includes one package that comes in a six-foot tall box equipped with enough explosives to fuel a Kiss reunion tour. It's everything from Asteroid Balls to artillery shells — all for $799.

"And we sell one every year," Smith says. "With that, there's nothing you won't miss."

Identifying fireworks

• Look at the size of the firework to identify the type. The largest fireworks are available only to professionals and require a pyrotechnic license to obtain.

• Read the label on the firework's packaging. All information about the weight, colors and other technical data should be printed clearly somewhere on the item or its package.

• Identify rocket type fireworks by their long cylindrical shape and aerodynamic tips. These types of fireworks fly and can travel to great heights.

• The fountain type fireworks produce a shower effect display. These are common and are a favorite for younger firework watchers.

• Watch for artillery shell-type fireworks that are loaded into tubes and launched into the air. These fireworks are round in shape like a cannon ball and are professional-grade fireworks.

• Notice the colors of the different fireworks. Differing colored explosions will help to identify their particular chemical make up. Red explosions contain strontium or lithium whereas blue displays have a copper base.