Fireworks destination in Pennsylvania draws shoppers from Hudson Valley and beyond ahead of July 4

Matamoras, Pennsylvania has become a go-to for many residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, where fireworks laws are stricter.

Ben Nandy

Jun 28, 2024, 11:35 PM

Updated 162 days ago

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People from the Hudson Valley and beyond are flocking to a tiny Pennsylvania community to buy fireworks they cannot legally buy locally.
Matamoras, Pennsylvania has become a go-to for many residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, where fireworks laws are stricter.
Competition for those customers has turned the borough's main drag into a colorful line of corporate and independent vendors trying to set themselves apart.
"Come on down," yelled Ryder Benson, a teenager dressed as Uncle Sam trying to attract drivers along Pennsylvania Avenue to visit a satellite tent of his employer, All Occasions Fireworks. "You know you need the fireworks."
"Oh, big truck," he celebrated. "We got a big boy. He's turning."
The staff is selling smaller items out of the tent, and promoting the larger projectile fireworks which are available at All Occasions' main store.