Fireworks, both single items as well as kits suitable for families and other groups of many sizes, were sold throughout the Riverbank area, leading up to the Fourth of July holiday this past Tuesday. Booths could sell the State Fire Marshal-approved Safe and Sane variety.

Scattered across parking lots large and small in town, booths were operated by sports team parents, church and veterans groups, as well as other civic organizations.

Riverbank City Council member Darlene Barber-Martinez headed up one booth, in the Save Mart parking lot, for her Central Valley Community Resources organization.

She said they had literally thousands of products for sale, including a number of larger, family-sized kits. They said her group was even giving away a larger, neighborhood kit to a lucky customer.

Barber-Martinez said that, over the hot weekend, mornings were her busiest times, but she was expecting to get even busier as temperatures cooled a bit, dropping back from the triple digit heat, and the holiday drew closer.

By the end of this week, most of the temporary booths should be dismantled, and many will have even picked up to wait for the next fireworks holiday.

At the city council meeting last week, a representative from Riverbank Police Services reminded city officials about the prospect of citizens using illegal fireworks.

Officials noted that fireworks that leave the ground are illegal and are in violation of city ordinances and would result in a $1000 fine for a first offense. Each subsequent violation would increase the fine by a thousand dollars.

And, they said, citations would be issued to both the individual setting off the illegal fireworks as well as the property owner from which they were set.

Authorities added they were increasing the number of patrol deputies, working in both marked and unmarked vehicles, who would be specifically looking for illegal firework activities over the holiday period.

The use of illegal fireworks, however, was booming on July 4. Riverbank was just one of many Central Valley communities that saw a plethora of pyrotechnics light up the night sky.