Fireworks Party Attracts Crowds To Paiute Travel Plaza

By Stephanie Bunker

Moapa Valley Progress

People from all over the region have been coming to the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza in swarms over the past week or so. The 4th of July holiday is, of course, the busy season for the Plaza, owned and operated by the Moapa Band of Paiutes. Customers from Las Vegas, southern Utah, and even California descend each year on the Moapa Indian Reservation to purchase a plethora of fireworks products they can’t get anywhere else.

Shelves at the Plaza store were overflowing and boxes were piled high as customers weaved in and out of the aisles, filling their carts to the brim with fireworks.

“This is the best part of our year,” said Terry Gates, a manager at the Plaza. “It’s what makes our bread and butter.”

The Plaza doubles and triples their fireworks in stock to get ready for this holiday week and for the hundreds of people that show up to the Plaza. A tent is set up just outside of the fireworks shop to provide shade to the long line of people waiting to go in and make their purchases.

There are great deals on fireworks to be had in the final weekend before Independence Day.The Plaza makes their customers happy by offering a buy one get one free promotion. There are even select fireworks that are buy one and get two or three for free.

By July 5th the Plaza will have sold thousands of fireworks, Gates said.

“After the 4th, things slow down for the rest of the year,” he said. “We usually keep our shelf stock pretty minimal until next June.”

In celebration of the ’busy season’ the Travel Plaza offered a concert and hired professionals to put on a special pyrotechnics display for all their customers to enjoy. This event took place at the Plaza on Friday and Saturday evenings just as the sun was going down.

On those nights, out behind the Travel Plaza buildings a stage was set up to allow a couple of Las Vegas bands to perform. As the sun began to set, people lined up their vehicles in preparation for the big show.

As the skies darkend, families and kids set off their own fireworks while in anticipation for the bigger rockets. The Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza has a 100 acre launch pad out behind the store for customers who would like to light fireworks there. As many of the fireworks sold on the reservation are illegal in the surrounding areas, customers are encouraged to do so. Since the Paiute Band is a sovereign nation, the fireworks are legal for people to ignite there on the reservation.

“The launch pad gets used very often and is a benefit for our customers,” said Gates.

Gates explained that the Plaza security guards and Tribal Police keep a close eye on those that come to use the launch pad so that wildfires don’t get started and people stay safe.

“Our customers enjoy it and we do too,” Gates said. “We like to help our customers find what fits them and their needs.”

As the night sky became dark, the music continued with the bands: Randi Rayl Presents Centerfold and The Fab. At around 9:00 p.m. the professional pyrotechnics company shot off an amazing display of big fireworks.