Photo by Ronnie R

If you’ve been seeing wooden shacks popping up in certain parts of the city, that can only mean one thing: we’re getting closer to the Fourth of July. Those shacks are the very places where D.C. residents will be able to buy their legal fireworks for the celebrations next Wednesday.

So far, the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has licensed 29 of these temporary fireworks stands, which are allowed to sell you sparklers and the such, but not things that explode like cherry bombs, roman candles or floral shells. More will likely be added throughout the week; license applications were due last week, and stands need only get the approval from the Fire Marshal before they can start selling fireworks.

For now, the majority of the stands are located in wards 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8. (Last year, those in wards 4, 5, 7, and 8 represented 95 percent of all stands.) And yes, you can probably expect the usual July 4 antics—the official fireworks display at the National Mall followed by D.C.’s numerous impromptu neighborhood displays—followed by the usual demands that fireworks be banned altogether.

If someone offers to sell you fireworks out of the trunk of their car, just assume that they didn’t get the proper licenses, OK?

Fireworks 2012