It[s that time of year for the fireworks stands to start attracting customers as the July Fourth holiday rapidly approaches.
That means Henryetta firemen are going to be on extra alert since many of those celebrations wind up causing unintended blazes.
Fire chief David Bullard said the city has laws in place governing shooting fireworks as well as the sales of those pyrotechnics.
Individuals, businesses or groups who want to use fireworks within the city limits must get a $17.25 permit from city hall. Those fireworks can only be shot off from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 3 through July 5.
"We want people to enjoy the holiday but they need to shoot off the fireworks responsibly and make sure no one gets hurt or property damaged," Bullard said.
He pointed out no fireworks can be used within 500 feet of a gas station or any place where propane is stored or sold. "People need to keep them more than 20 feet away from houses or vehicles and they can't be thrown out of moving vehicles he added.
Anyone violating the ordinances can be ticketed and pay a fine.
Here are five safety steps for people setting fireworks off at home:
Never give fireworks to small children, and always follow the instructions on the packaging.
Keep a supply of water close by as a precaution.
Make sure the person lighting fireworks always wears eye protection.
Light only one firework at a time and never attempt to relight "a dud."
Never throw or point a firework toward people, animals, vehicles, structures or flammable materials.

Henryetta council members are still waiting for a plan detailing construction and eventual use for the caretaker’s house at Nichols Park.
That discussion occupied much of the meeting Monday night between the council and Steve Sanford. Sanford has been spearheading an effort to clean upland restore the building since last fall.
He had planned to hold some fundraising efforts to finance the project but was told that, since the building is owned by the city, he could not do that but, instead, any donors would have to bring their donations to city hall individually.
“We want to see the plans and see the total cost,” said mayor Jennifer Munholland.
He replied one estimate was for $85,000 to bring the house back to completion. “The stone structure is sound. That rock is as square as the day they were set,” he said.
Sanford told council members he had several contractors who have told him they would donate time and labor but the cost of the materials would have to be paid by the donations and city. Recent price increases in material cost were brought up with Sanford saying an original estimate to replace the roof was $5,000 and is now $7,500. He said if the roof could be repaired and the building secured, workers could spend time inside restoring the structure.
Sanford said some of the cost of the project could be paid through establishing full-service camping facilities at the park. He estimated 30 camping spots paying $30 per day would generate some $200,000 over an eight-month period if all were occupied.
“The problem is the infrastructure,’ Munholland said. She said it would cost over $1 million to run sewer lines. “The city makes about $200,000 each month in tax revenue. That’s about one block of asphalt,. I don’t think this is financially feasible.”
She went on to say the city has issues with infrastructure around town. “We have a leak and don’t know where it is at. When you are having over 500 gallons (of water) per minute disappearing, the park is not at the top of the list now.”
Regarding the hotel-motel tax account, she pointed out the city, “can’t spend a little bit here and there. Everything we look at is $100,000. We would love nothing more than to develop it. You don’t have the funds and the city doesn’t have the money.”
In other business during the evening, the council approved a request by local veterinarian Dr. Carlton Collett to use the rodeo arena for a customer appreciation event July 17.
Also approved was a request by the Muskogee (Creek) Nation to rebuild a half-mile of East Corporation from the Lake Road. That street leads to the Reintegration Program facility.
A tort clam against he city from ONEOK was denied based on a recommendation from the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) legal staff. That claim was based on a loss in May of this year. Since the city denied the claim, ONEOK has 180 days to file a lawsuit. No information was provided about the claim background.
Council approved Arledge and Associates to audit the city financial statements for the fiscal year that ends June 30.
Earlier in the evening, the council held a short public hearing on the budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year. No breakdown on budget figures were given. The council voted to adopt the budget.

When Henryetta students go back to class this year they will be given the option of wearing a mask or not.
That decision was part of the safe return plan adopted by the Henryetta school board Monday.
The plan was explained by Middle School principal Jayme Matlock who has been working on it for several weeks. “We have to write this plan in order to receive funding from the state, she said. “Once this plan is in place, we can revisit it as things come up and changes are made for better or worse.”
She worked on the plan after receiving input from parents, teachers and others within the community.
While the masks are not mandatory, any student or parent who wants their child to wear a mask will be allowed.
During the monthly meeting, school board members hired Donna Walls McFerran as the reading specialist in the elementary school.
Board members adopted a new graduation requirement that will include one fine art credit and one geography credit. That new requirement will affect the seniors graduating next May.
“We have to have 24 units to graduate,” high school principal Kelly Furer said.
A change was made in the math policy for freshmen and sophomores. It split the algebra courses in two, each for a full year.
“Each will be a half a credit but will go for the full year,” Furer said. “A student can take algebra 1A as a freshman then 1B as a sophomore. We are wanting our students to have a deeper understanding of math.”
Students taking virtual high school courses will be required to come to the Henryetta campus to take their tests. “Furer explained this would give teachers an opportunity to determine if the students need more instruction or reassignments. “If a student is not successful online and fail two courses, we are asking that they come back to unperson studies.”
In the event a student is unable to come back to classroom work, the school administration will work with them. “In case of a medical issue, we will look for more services for them<,” Furer told the board.
In personnel action, the board accepted resignations from Ashley Corn and Monica Brown. Both are elementary teachers.
The hourly pay for Tammie Fairres, Harold Fox and Bertha McGowin was boosted as was the salary for new elementary principal Roger Williams.
Superintendent Dwayne Noble told the board work is underway to move the school computer servers and equipment from the former board office to the administration area at the early childhood center. Once everything is moved out from that building it is expected to be demolished.
Under new business, Alan Kerby urged board members to become familiar with the issues addressed by House Bill 1775. That prohibits critical race theory from being taught in the classrooms. “Even through it is prohibited from being taught in schools, things tend to creep in,” he said.
Board members heard a presentation by FFA advisor Brooke Smith about plans to add a skeet team as an extra curricular activity. The full presentation can be read HERE.

Three area towns are among the 13 historically Black towns scheduled to be visited in a motorcycle tour in September.
Grayson, Clearview and Boley are on the route planned by Eric Miksch who is helping organize the ride.
Miksch, a Nebraska Air National Guard member who lives in Lincoln, Neb., said this is the third year for the tour. It will be held Sept. 3 through 5.
The tour will start off in Muskogee or Langston according to Derrick Smith, jr. who is helping with the plans. Riders can sit all 13 towns in the state in one day or spread it out over the two-day stretch.
Meet and greets are scheduled for the evenings of Sept. 3 in Langston and Muskogee. Musical celebrations are planned for the evenings of Sept. 4 in Muskogee and Sept. 5 in Tatums.
Miksch said he was cruising down to Texas in the summer of 2018 when he stopped for gas in Newcastle and was approached by Smith, who had noticed the Nebraska license plate on his motorcycle.
“He asked me if I had heard about the Black towns. He said he was putting together a motorcycle tour to visit all 13 remaining towns and asked if I thought other bikers might be interested. I said absolutely.”
On the first tour, in 2019, Miksch ended up riding with members of the RPM Motorcycle Club from Oklahoma City, who invited him to stay with them when they learned he didn’t have a hotel reservation.
“Stopping at each town and reading the markers allowed me to pause and reflect and really take a moment and think about the origins and history of these towns. Derrick has a very strong vision for these towns that I really admire. I would love to see them grow and develop and get the resources they need to carry on.”
MIksch said he’s since started learning about historical Black towns in other states, including Nebraska. He visited a Black history museum in Omaha.
“There are things that happened in Nebraska that I had no clue about,” he said.
The registration fee for motorcycle riders will cover a spot on the tour, tour patches and entry to all tour concerts and events. Towns on the tour include Redbird, Tullahassee, Taft, Summit, Rentiesville, Langston, Boley, Clearview, Grayson, Vernon, Lima, Brooksville and Tatums.
Non-riders can participate in the 13 Black Towns Tour in their vehicles and can purchase passes online. For more information or to reserve a spot, call 833-344-TOUR or go to 13blacktownstour.com.