FIERY FOURTH: FIREWORKS STANDS READY FOR BIG RUSH

Sparklers, Roman candles and firecrackers are still the most popular fireworks ever created, but pyrotechnicians haven't given up trying to find new ways to thrill.

See You Later Alligator emits sparks that fly from the reptile's jaws. Not only sparks but sounds erupt from Philharmonic Symphony Encore.

"It's great for a finale," says Mary Ann Lewis, tent manager at Hoffman's Family Fireworks in the Town Plaza Shopping Center.

Two days before Independence Day, sales are steady at local fireworks stands. But the real rush won't occur until Saturday and Sunday.

Also new this year is the Great Wall, which may win the award for bombast. The sparkles and whistles are supposed to last for two minutes.

Hog Wild isn't new but still makes an impression. It emits a sound that resembles "sooey."

There are patriotic fireworks -- Battle of Lexington and a parachute concoction that delivers an American flag -- and fireworks that might remind you of a movie -- Jurassic Paradise.

If those aren't exciting enough, there are 3-D glasses to wear while watching fireworks.

Hoffman's already has sold out of Titanics, a display in which fountains erupt from the vessel's stacks and the cabin lights go on at the end.

Lewis' favorite is a fountain called Splendid Flower. A first-grade teacher who will be moving from May Greene School to the new Blanchard School next year, Lewis says kids are particularly fond of the smoke grenades, which emit smoke but don't explode.

Customers must be at least 12 years old to buy fireworks in Cape Girardeau. The state age limit is 14. Hoffman's abides by the state regulation.

Packages that take the decision-making out of a fireworks purchase are available and popular. Hoffman's has a $55 package that comes in an ammo box.

At one of the three Ogborn fireworks tents on Morgan Oak, a new and well-liked item is 3rd Generation, an artillery shell launcher and 36 shells selling for $150.

Ogborn sells two packages of fireworks for the price of one. And no, you can't buy one package for half price.

One of Ogborn's assortment packs sells for $400.

At Ogborn, the most ominous-looking piece of pyrotechnics is the Big Bear Cannon, a large tube which sends artillery shells into the stratosphere.

Hen Laying Egg, a docile-looking item that sells for 80 cents apiece, also is popular. "People must have had these when they were little," shrugs Jenny Lange, an Oran High School student working at the tent.

The Ogborn tents are just across the Mississippi River bridge from Illinois, land of the pyrotechnically deprived. Lange and co-worker Audrey Mosebach, also of Oran, say many of their customers drive up in cars with Illinois license plates.

"I don't see how you can have the Fourth of July without fireworks," Lange says.

Smoking is not allowed within 50 feet of fireworks stands. Discharging fireworks near a stand also is forbidden, though Lange and Mosebach said a bottle rocket flew through their tent a few days ago.

Both of them love fireworks. "I already have a parachute on a neighbor's roof," Mosebach said.

One traditional item of fireworks is missing from the stands. Snakes, which uncoil into black ash when lit, were banned because a boy ate one and became sick.

Fireworks may be discharged in Cape Girardeau between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. until the Fourth of July. On the Fourth, the hours are 10 a.m. to midnight.