Omaha-area 'firework guys' spend thousands so their neighbors can enjoy the show

Blair Barr of South Omaha and Nathan Hansen of the Elkhorn area both run fireworks tents leading up to the Fourth of July through Twisted Thunder Fireworks, taking two weeks off their regular jobs to work 12-to-16-hour days in the midsummer heat.

These self-proclaimed “firework guys” don’t pocket their earnings; they put them back into their own elaborate firework shows, which can cost as much as $10,000.

Hansen estimated he spent $10,000 to $15,000 in all this year, with at least some of that going to his first firework show of the summer on July Fourth in his backyard in Elkhorn.

He expects the show to begin between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m., with people able to view the 45-minute show from the north side of Pine Creek Elementary. 

While Hansen said he gets a hefty employee discount, even with that and his fireworks tent paycheck, he still spends around $3,500 out of pocket each year. 

Because of the cost, Barr does his show every other year; this being an off year, easing the time his family has to dedicate on advertising the party and coordinating food and permits.

With 10-year-old twins and him working most of the time at the tent, Barr says his wife appreciates the year off. This year, he says his earnings will go toward bills.

Barr says his firework show is not simply a show; it’s a block party that takes up his whole street and draws around 200 people.

It’s an event he’s been participating in his whole life, growing up on 35th and Center Streets; his uncle used to throw the same party. Now, Barr has taken it over, living five blocks away from where he grew up.

“I actually invite everybody, anybody who wants to come, and their kids," Barr said. "And then personally, I provide fireworks for everyone, even the kids, that way there's nobody left out."

Last year to celebrate his 40th birthday, which fell about a week before Independence Day, Barr spent $7,000, with his employee discount, to coordinate an 18-and-a-half-minute firework show.

Barr gets a permit to shut down his street, but his show sometimes toes the line of the law. Before fireworks were legal in Nebraska, his family would drive to Missouri to stock up.

“The Omaha Police Department is really good about (the show), as long as you're being smart, because I did mine technically on the fifth last year, and you weren't supposed to. The officer stopped by and said, ‘Hey, one of your neighbors reported you. I won't be back,’” Barr said.

Hansen’s pyrotechnic obsession began about 20 years ago, well before he got into selling fireworks 10 years ago. Since then, he’s taken his hobby to the next level.

Hansen has a 1.4 Pro license, which allows him to buy commercial-grade fireworks not available to the general public and light them off any time of the year, with certain restrictions, as long as he does not make a profit.

He hosts two main shows in the summer, one in his backyard in Elkhorn on the Fourth of July, hosting around 30 people from his neighborhood, and those traveling as far as Grand Island. The other is a show in Weeping Water, where he grew up, for his family.

To prepare his annual Fourth of July show, Hansen usually spends 10 hours preparing the fireworks, which he fires off electronically.

Hansen explained that he hooks up the fireworks with a speaker wire that has a chemical on the end that ignites the fireworks. He runs 400-foot cat five cables, typically used to connect computers or routers, to stagger the ignition of different fireworks.

Planning a well-timed show takes precision. To prepare, Barr and Hansen scan QR codes connected to the different fireworks at their tents to see what the display looks like. Then they see how long the individual fireworks display and coordinate the rest accordingly.

“You can script it to where you can sit down and go through and say, all right, this one burns for 27 seconds, and then they have computer programs, to where you can do pyro mechanicals,” Hansen said.

Barr and Hansen plan their parties months in advance, but their Fourth of July celebrations only last a few hours. Their tents are open all day on the Fourth of July, but it isn’t until they get off at 10 p.m. that they can begin their festivities. Both heartily agree that it’s all worth it.

Barr’s tent is located at 2400 Eighth Ave., Plattsmouth, and Hansen’s is located in Omaha at 156th and Blondo Streets.

Being a Marine, Hansen says the Fourth of July is special to him, and he looks forward to celebrating America’s 250th birthday with a much more patriotic fireworks display than he usually does.

Barr says his favorite part is seeing people who run million-dollar businesses standing next to people who wash dishes, both enjoying his party.

“I love the fireworks, don't get me wrong, stand underneath them, feel them, see them, but the community is awesome, it really is,” Barr said.