Jumbo’s Fireworks has been a huge part of Pampa for over 60 years. Ron Kotara who opened the shop when he was 15 years old has continued to do it year after year. Throughout the years, Randy Milligan has been part of every step of the way. Kotara, who started out doing it all on his own, has now grown it to the point family and friends are part of the shop every year. This year, the shop will open on June 24th. The State of Texas permits anyone from opening before a certain point, the 24th is the earliest they can open and Jumbo’s is wasting no time.
“There are different seasons for when you can be opened, the fourth is the big one, but there’s also Cinco de mayo or new year’s Eve,” Jumbo’s Owner, Ron Kotara said. “So this year we are opening up for the full amount of days we’re allowed to be open and selling. The weather always permits when business is good.”
The Fourth of July weekend is always one that is beneficial, but in other optional seasons, the panhandle weather doesn’t allow it.
“This year we’re so blessed for the rainfall we’ve been getting,” Kotara said. “This year we don’t have to worry about fire danger or a hazard. Now we only have to worry about user error causing problems.”
Kotara who’s been doing this for six decades gives the basic advice of being smart with what you’re doing. Staying aware of exactly what you’re doing.
“It’s always recommended that adults abide by the rules and supervise,” Kotara said. “With good supervision, it can always be a fun time.”
The shop will do another giant giveaway, a giveaway they’ve done for years. Every year, everyone who comes and makes a purchase gets entered into a drawing for a big giveaway that is done on the shop’s Facebook page live at 10 pm on July 3rd. This year, the shop will have the return of the big show cakes that have been troublesome to get.
“We had them before Covid and people loved them,” Kotara said. “But once the pandemic hit, with that and China, we weren’t able to get them in. They weigh 50 pounds and put out around 200+ shots. So when we didn’t have them, people kept asking, so this year we’re glad to have them back. We had similar cakes but nothing to the level of those.”
The shop will have lots of manager specials, with prices marked down for patrons. They’ve stepped up the amount of kid options they offer even more.
“We have a lot of family packs that we box and sell at a more reasonable price,” Kotara said. “Since we’re our own company, self-owned in Pampa, we can give a lot of discounts and get in all kinds of different things. So we’re proud of that.”
Jumbo’s is a huge donor to Harvester athletics and will have Harvester athletes working the stand again this year. They will also be open for New Year’s Eve, an annual thing they do. They open two to three days before NYE, but the weather is a huge factor.
“The weather really affects everything we can do,” Kotara said. “This past new year we had perfect weather. This year for the fourth we will have some rain right before, which I think is good for us. It takes away some of those hazards.”
To see all specials and stock of Jumbo’s, visit their Facebook page. To purchase your fireworks starting on the 24th, visit them on the corner of HWY 60 @ Price Road. Give them a call for all your firework needs at (903)203-7203
