Staff photo / Dylan Bigelow
William Weimer hands a sticker to Paisley Brewster, 4, of Braceville, as a cashier loads up her parents’ cart June 28 at the Phantom Fireworks of Howland store.

As he drives home through the fading light, bursts of red, white and blue fill the sky. Greens, pinks and oranges shimmer in the car’s windows.

At home, Weimer walks halfway around the block and back again, watching children run with sparklers and parents lighting fuses.

A high whistle cuts through the air. A beat of silence. Then–boom. A bright bloom of color. Crackles fade just as another whistle begins.

He’s listening, he says, “to the music of the fireworks.”

While Christmas may unite people in spirit, no holiday brings Americans together, quite literally, like Independence Day. Nothing draws a crowd from their homes and into the streets like a fireworks display at the end of a long summer day.

This day isn’t just about community gatherings, though; it also celebrates that rebellious, rowdy, red-white-and-blue spirit of the good ol’ USA, uniting everyone as Americans.

That’s because nothing says America more than the Fourth of July, the anniversary of the day the Founding Fathers shed the king’s shackles and stood free.

And nothing screams the Fourth of July louder than the thousands of backyard fireworks shows exploding across the nation.

“You can’t do Fourth of July without fireworks,” Weimer said. “It’s illegal. It doesn’t make sense.”

And in the Mahoning Valley, no one does fireworks like Phantom Fireworks.

Weimer knows this well. It’s why he takes those neighborhood walks to “listen to the music.” As a vice president and general counsel of Phantom Fireworks, he’s checking on business. And business is booming.

“It gives me a thrill knowing those are probably ours,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. “Usually when I go over to someone shooting fireworks, sure enough, there’s some Phantom fireworks there. So it gives me a great deal of pleasure to see people using the products, having fun.”

Weimer, with gray hair and round-rimmed glasses, has been with the company for 31 years — or seasons, rather.

“In this business, we don’t count years, we count seasons,” he said. “And the Fourth of July is the season.”

Founded in the late ’70s by Bruce Zoldan, Phantom has been lighting up the skies for almost 50 seasons. Like many great American ventures, the company has humble beginnings. And for a pyrotechnics company, it doesn’t get any more humble than the sparkler.

While working for his uncle and with his dad selling non-food goods to local grocery stores, Zoldan was presented with an opportunity to sell sparklers and he took it.

“He went from selling sparklers to grocers to selling out of the trunk of his mother’s Impala,” Weimer said. “That’s how he got started. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Since then, Zoldan and Phantom have become an integral part of the Youngstown community. The company has a United States Hockey League team named after it — the Youngstown Phantoms — and Zoldan has made substantial donations to various philanthropies, with millions alone going to Youngstown State University.

But the company’s influence extends far beyond the Valley. Weimer said Phantom has played a key role in helping pass legislation to legalize the sale of consumer fireworks — not just in Ohio, but across the country.

“We’ve been largely instrumental in opening up Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York,” Weimer said, paving the way for more Americans to celebrate the Fourth from their own backyards.

Still, no matter how far Phantom spreads or how many locations it opens, home is — and always will be — Youngstown.

“I have customers that walk in the door and I recognize them,” Weimer said. “They recognize me. We hug. Kids hug. People love it.”

After 31 seasons, there’s nowhere Weimer would rather be.

“By training, I’m a lawyer, but my heart is in the pyro business,” he said. “I love to talk about fireworks. This is a pretty cool gig to have.”

As people around the Valley gather this weekend to celebrate the land of the free and the home of the brave, they’ll look up at streaks of red, white and blue bursting overhead. And when they do, they might also consider what it means to be not just American — but part of a community where that celebration begins.

Stay safe this holiday season

Consumer Product Safety Commission’s fireworks safety tips:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to melt some metals.

• Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose handy, in case of fire or other mishap.

• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area, and only purchase and set off fireworks that are labeled for consumer (not professional) use.

• Never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

• Light fireworks one at a time, then move back quickly.

• Never try to relight or pick up fireworks that have not ignited fully.

• Follow all instructions and warnings on fireworks and never hold them in hand unless instructions specify to do so.