Imagine this scenario: It’s a warm and muggy June evening, roughly 11 p.m. It’s been a long day of work and childcare, which has been particularly stressful over the last three months, thanks to Covid-19. You and your partner just let the dogs out one last time, checked in on the kids (they’ve been in bed since 9), and locked up the house.You brush your teeth and climb into bed. You hope you can fall asleep soon - your 6 a.m. alarm always comes fast. You turn the lights off, lay your head down on the pillow and close your eyes. Just as you start to drift off - BOOM! - an explosion!

Your dogs begin barking and howling incessantly and your children come crying at your bedroom door. You’re not concerned that it might be gunshots or a leaking gas line that exploded. You don’t feel compelled to call the police or even look outside.

No, you’re a resident of the Lehigh Valley and you know that the noise is simply neighbors setting off fireworks as they’ve done every night seemingly since Easter. All you can do is sigh, shake your head and do your best to comfort your family, assuring them that even though it’s a jarringly-loud, sleep-interrupting nuisance, it’s nothing to be afraid of.

Although several fireworks stores, such as Phantom, Sky King and TNT, have been in operation at the Easton exit off Interstate 78 for over a decade, it was only in October 2017 that state legislators overwhelmingly legalized the sale and possession of “consumer grade” fireworks. In fact, at the time, all local state representatives voted in favor of the measure, which added a 12 percent Pa. sales tax to their purchase and was expected at the time to generate approximately $9 million in revenue, according to a December 2017 article in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Until then, only customers who possessed an out-of-state identification card were legally allowed to not just make purchases, but even enter the stores’ premises (hence their proximity to the Pa.-NJ border).

Although there have been noticeable upticks in fireworks’ prevalence in residential neighborhoods in the Lehigh Valley over the past two years, 2020 has proved to be something of a “tipping point” in regard to their omnipresence as well as attention from the national media.

In a CNN article from June 23, VP and general counsel at Phantom Fireworks, Bill Weimer said more people are buying fireworks from Phantom, and they’re buying them earlier than ever.

“It’s a combination of people getting out, being anxious and having this pent-up energy, and then right around the corner is a quintessential firework holiday,” he said. “Put the two together, consider the fact that there won’t be a lot of [public fireworks displays due to Covid-19], and suddenly, you have a formula that means people are buying more and more fireworks.”

A New York Daily News article from the same day spoke of the sales frenzy at a few of the Easton stores.

“Sales have been so good at Phantom … over the past 15 days that the store has made as much money as typically would make over an entire year,” said manager Matthew Metzgar. “We have definitely maybe doubled, tripled our sales this year.”

The store which sits right off Interstate 78 a few minutes away from two other fireworks stores, reopened June 5 after nearly three months’ closure due to Covid-19.

“Coast to coast, it’s a banner year for the fireworks industry,” said Joe Van Oudenhove, the managing partner at nearby Sky King Fireworks in the article. “In my 20-plus years in the industry, I’ve never seen anything like it, and I don’t think we will again. As a nation, we will be out of fireworks by the Fourth of July.”

Despite the good news for these local stores (and the seemingly dozens of pop-up tents selling novelty wares such as sparklers, “poppers” and other items), not everybody is excited about what might be proving to be an historic year for fireworks consumption.

A WFMZ article about the June 17 Allentown City Council meeting referred to Allentown as a “city under siege” from fireworks. According to the article, “It is incumbent on the city to attempt to address the issues being caused by the indiscriminate use of fireworks,’ the West Park Civic Association Board wrote in a letter to council.”

Council President Daryl Hendricks and Councilman Edward Zucal were among the officials who agreed with community members about the growing nuisance,

Council members needed little persuasion on the matter. Some offered their own accounts of fireworks activities. WFMZ reported that the council will request that state lawmakers consider repealing the fireworks law.

The Bethlehem Press reached out to Mayor Bob Donchez, Police Chief Mark DiLuzio and city council members for comment. Donchez referred us to DiLuzio whose office released a statement June 22. The lengthy statement, which can be found in full on the department’s Facebook page, read in part:

“With certain fireworks now legal in Pennsylvania, it does not mean you can use fireworks anytime and anywhere you want and in the ‘wee’ hours of the morning. City residents and visitors are reminded to please use fireworks responsibly and with consideration and respect to others, their property and pets.

“Every summer, the Bethlehem Police Department and Bethlehem Fire Departments respond to numerous complaints of fireworks being set off late at night in city parks, in the street or on private property. Fireworks are not toys and every year in the U.S., there are thousands of firework-related injuries, even deaths.

“Fireworks also affect people suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Sudden loud bangs, explosions can cause PTSD symptoms to re-occur in people recovering from a traumatic event or military service. Please consider what you are doing and how it affects others. Be considerate and exercise common sense.

“Please remember that when you set off fireworks, the noise travels for blocks in the city. Being woken up at 2 a.m. by individuals setting off fireworks is not acceptable. Every year, Bethlehem Police respond to dozens of reports of fireworks upsetting people’s pets. Dogs in particular are affected by the loud noise and flashes, causing many to break leashes, panic, become disoriented, and run. Cats also get very scared. Every year, we pick up numerous pets. Some we are able to identify owners for and some we are not.

“So the moral of the story is use common sense and if you are going to use fireworks, use them responsibly and not between the hours of 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. in the City of Bethlehem.”

The Palmer Township Police Department released a similar statement June 22 as well, reminding citizens “Yes, fireworks are legal, BUT, please make yourself familiar with the entire law. There are PROHIBITIONS, including: (5) A person may not intentionally ignite or discharge Consumer fireworks within 150 feet of an occupied structure. ‘Whether or not a person is actually present.’ To be more definitive, residents discharging fireworks within their neighborhood is likely ILLEGAL. There are very few areas in Palmer Township that discharging fireworks would be legal. Our officers do respond to fireworks complaints and will investigate.”

Several Bethlehem City Council members replied to our request for comment, as well.

Councilman J. William Reynolds said, “I appreciate the efforts of our police and citizens to catch people who are setting them off illegally. The problem is how hard it is to catch someone. They should have never been legalized. I have thought about trying to ban them 24 hours a day in Bethlehem and let people sue. That, however, wouldn’t stop people from buying fireworks in Pennsylvania though, which is the real problem. I don’t know anyone in Bethlehem who thinks the state shouldn’t ban them.”

Councilwoman Grace Crampsie-Smith added, “Yes, the fireworks issue has been in the forefront of my mind for weeks now. I hear them almost nightly and many of my friends have pets who are scared to death of them. I also worry about the impact it has on our veterans, especially those with PTSD. I have friends who work all shifts in the medical profession and it disturbs their valuable sleep time. I have spoken with [Chief DiLuzio] regarding this and he said he is well aware, they continue to receive numerous complaints and are trying to deal with it. The problem seems to [be] that since the state legalized fireworks, sales have skyrocketed. I will reach out to our state representatives about this. This issue, like many others, falls within the age-old problem that we cannot legislate consideration for others.”

Councilman Michael Colón said, however, “I honestly don’t have much to add because other than hearing some here and there in the distance while I walk my dog at night, fireworks haven’t come up. There haven’t been any significant events or incidents that have come across my desk.”

Rep. Jeanne McNeill of the 133rd Pa. district, which covers portions of South Bethlehem and Fountain Hill, among other parts of the area, released a statement June 24. McNeill’s late husband, Rep. Daniel McNeill, was one of the overwhelming number of legislators who voted to legalize sales to Pa. residents in 2017. The statement read, in part:

“This year, it seems as though the annual tradition in communities here in Lehigh County and across the Commonwealth has reached a heightened level of activity. Perhaps one might say people are especially keen on releasing extra stress brought out by the Covid-19 pandemic and the quarantine that halted get-togethers. Regardless of reasoning, the displays are unauthorized and, as noted by the calls and conversations, many residents tend to feel that these nighttime displays are adding to, not alleviating stress: upsetting pets, depriving many from sleep, negatively impacting our veterans with PTSD, and, in our cities, posing a safety issue.

“Our frontline workers, specifically those who are called upon to protect and serve, from our police departments to fire companies, have already seen an increase in demand for their services as our communities continue to come back to life amid a global pandemic. As such, the added burden placed by the uptick in pyrotechnics across our communities is not making their jobs any easier, or our streets any safer.

“While fireworks are available for legal purchase by Pennsylvania residents, there are regulations and laws that limit where they can be used. Those who are caught violating existing use laws do face citations but catching people using legally purchased fireworks illegally can prove to be a taxing and challenging nightly occurrence for law enforcement.

“The fireworks are likely to continue, so too are efforts and conversations to find a balanced solution to address safety concerns that ensure our celebrations are mindful of the collective whole. Rest assured, I am working with my colleagues in Harrisburg to address this issue so that a fair and balanced solution can be found. There is no reason why our communities should feel like, as one person called it, ‘a war zone.”

Despite all this, it seems highly unlikely that anything will fundamentally change regarding fireworks’ rampancy for the rest of the summer, even as local police departments attempt to crack down on them.

Whether or not legislation is coming in the future to reverse the legalization will likely depend on further public outcry.

In the meantime, plenty of Bethlehem residents’ bedtime routines will surely involve closing their windows, turning their sound machines on full-blast and wishing upon a firecracker that they can get a decent night’s sleep.