The Fourth of July is in just a few days, and residents of Monroe County will soon be enjoying cookouts alongside the biggest staple of the holiday: fireworks.

While some in the county might have driven across the river to get their Independence Day necessities in years past, a new shop has opened right outside of Waterloo as Illinois laws concerning fireworks have substantially relaxed recently.

Short Fuze opened for the first time on June 1. The store is owned and operated by partners Anthony Hassler of Shorty’s Smokehouse in Waterloo and his neighbor Greg Woolley.

Woolley is originally from Columbia but moved to Waterloo in 2011, and Hassler soon moved in right next to him.

As the two got to know each other as neighbors, they discovered a mutual appreciation for fireworks that started out as a small hobby between them and their families, but that interest eventually led to this new business venture.

“It was just kind of a fun little hobby, get some fireworks and shoot them off,” Hassler said. “We both really liked it, so it just started getting a little bit bigger and a little bit bigger as the years went on.”

Hassler said he was recently offered a tent by the pair’s fireworks dealer, and they’ve since set up shop just south of Waterloo, with the name Short Fuze inspired by Hassler’s restaurant.

The partners offered an overview of their inventory. They have plenty of standard novelty items like sparklers, but their biggest points of pride are previously restricted items.

“We just want to really get out to the public that we have more than just snakes and sparklers,” Woolley said. “Illinois is allowing us to sell pretty much everything as far as artillery shells, cakes.”

These items, they explained, are still legislated, and both Woolley and Hassler had to get permits in order to operate the store. More recently, the two had to participate in an inspection with the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Other items are still illegal in the state given how frequently they cause injuries. Woolley noted that such fireworks like roman candles and bottle rockets often misfire, with flames shooting off far away from where they’re aimed.

While the pair hope Short Fuze can be an option for local fireworks enthusiasts, they both expressed a desire to ensure folks are using them safely and appropriately.

They spoke about permit requirements for firework displays, noting how they’ve been pointing their customers to the county clerk’s office to take care of the relatively straightforward paperwork.

“We are all about safety,” Woolley said. “If you’re in a subdivision, we’re not gonna sell you a 500 gram cake that you’re gonna blow up right next to your neighbor. We ask them ‘Do they have land?’ Then we can do that. We tell them about the permit and go forth from there.”

Fireworks safety is especially important this year, as Monroe County Sheriff Neil Rohlfing noted the harsh drought the area has been experiencing could lead to greater chances of fireworks mishaps.

“I think especially with the lack of rain, we just want to ask the residents to understand what kind of complications can come out of that,” Rohlfing said. “Maybe don’t be lighting any fireworks near wheat stubblefields because those will catch very quickly with the dry weather we’ve had, plus we’ve also had significant winds.”

Hassler and Woolley said the stigma around fireworks given their previous restrictions has seemingly impacted Short Fuze’s business, as sales have been somewhat slow, though Hassler noted this could simply be due to folks buying in Missouri or waiting to buy closer to July 4.

Despite the slow start, Short Fuze does have its hand in at least one upcoming fireworks display as Hope Christian Church reached out to them to supply its show this coming Sunday.

With just under a week until July 4, the duo are hoping for business to pick up so they can come back again next year – hopefully offering an even better selection than what they have now.

As Hassler described, they also hope to help residents of the county celebrate the coming holiday in the best way possible.

“It just brings a lot of people together,” Hassler said. “It lights up the sky, and for one brief minute everybody’s not thinking about the bills and stuff they have to face. They’re just sitting back, chilling and watching the fireworks. It’s a cool feeling to let people release like that for a little while.”

Short Fuze is currently open from noon to 9 p.m. on weekends and 4-9 p.m. on weekdays at 6265 Route 3 south of Waterloo.