When Are The Firework Tents Opening in Utica and Rome?

Firework tents are set up across Oneida County, but when are they opening? July 4 is almost here.

While driving around town running errands, we noticed lots of firework tents, but not many were open at the time of this posting. What's going on? Can't they find help? Or, is it something else?

After some digging, we discovered Phantom Fireworks, 8555 Seneca Turnpike in New Hartford, opened on June 20 according to the website.

We're getting conflicting reports about the TNT locations across Central New York. Some information states the New Hartford Shopping Center and Westgate Plaza in Rome are open. At the same time, all other Rome, Herkimer Oneida, Syracuse, Lowville, and Oneonta locations are shown as temporarily closed, and TNT in Cooperstown is slated to open on June 26, while the TNT Official Site says, all locations are open.

We can tell you for sure Northern Lights Fireworks in Rome is open 7 days a week.

Speciale Fireworks is open on 410 Broad Street in Utica through July 5. Also at
New Hartford Shopping Center, next to Nicky Doodles and at SavOn Convenience Stores & Maple Leaf Market locations, including:

SavOn – Lenox Ave, Oneida
SavOn – Patrick Road, Verona
SavOn – Route 31, Verona
SavOn – Peterboro Street, Canastota – Thruway Exit 34
SavOn – Rt. 5 & Sherrill Road, Sherrill
SavOn – Oneida Lake, Canastota
SavOn – Genesee Street, Oneida – Plaza Mart
Maple Leaf Market – Route 13, Verona Beach
Maple Leaf Market – Route 5 West, Chittenango

Oneida County has almost 40 New York State Registered Sparkling Device Vendors. NYS Law allows for the sale of Sparkling Devices in counties and cities that have NOT enacted a local law according to section 405.00 of the Penal Law of NY. The highlighted locations also sell packages of fireworks.

Red's Contracting Services Embers Camping Supply and Store, Blossvale
Willey, James Jr Copper City Fireworks 280 East Dominick St Rome
Red's Market, 8528 State Route 365 Stittville
Northway Stop n Shop, State Route 365 Remsen
Speciale Fireworks, 410 Broad St, Suite 1 Utica
Nice N Easy, 12200 State Route 28 Poland
Nice N Easy , 8035 State Route 12 Barneveld
TNT Walmart, 5815 Rome Taberg Rd Rome
TNT Walmart, 710 Horatio St Utica
TNT Walmart, 4765 Commerce Rd New Hartford
TNT Price Chopper, 4535 Commercial Dr. New Hartford
TNT Price Chopper, 1790 Black River Rd Rome
TNT Price Chopper, 50 Auert Ave Utica
TNT Price Chopper, 1917 Genesee St Utica
TNT Target, 5 Sangertown Sq New Hartford
TNT Lowe's, 4699 Middle Settlement Rd New Hartford
TNT Lowe's, 1230 Erie Blvd W Rome
TNT Lowe's, 710 Horatio St Utica
Red's Contracting Services 56 Main Street Camden
Hannaford Utica,
Hannaford New Hartford
Hannaford, Commercial Dr. New Hartford
Hannaford, 55 Meadow St Clinton
Tops Market, 87 E State St Sherrill
Tops Market, 217 Erie Blvd W Rome
Tops Market, 9554 Harden Blvd, State Rt 13 Camden
Tops Market, 261 Utica Blvd Boonville
Speciale Fireworks Inc. New Hartford Shopping Cente
Family Video, 510 N James St Rome
Keystone Novelties Distributors 2344 State Route 49 Blossvale
TNT Michael Cancilla, 5815 Rome Taberg Rd Rome
TNT Emily Ceffalia, 4765 Commercial Dr. New Hartford
TNT Lateef Boone, 40 Kellogg Rd New Hartford
TNT Burdick Paving & Excavating Co, Inc, 6201 Rt 233 Rome
Keystone Novelties Distributors, 4952 Commercial Dr. Yorkville
Keystone Novelties Distributors, 2814 Genesee St Utica
Phantom Fireworks Eastern Region, 8555 Seneca Tpke New Hartford

All Registered NYS Sparkling Device Vendors

Did we forget any? Just let us know, and we'll be sure to add them to the list! Please use responsibly.

Stunning Fireworks & Fountain Display Worth the Drive

Experience a night of spectacular fireworks and illuminated dancing fountains at Longwood Gardens, a 5 hour drive from Utica.

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Experience a Glow in the Park Adventure

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Northern Lights In Old Forge

It's not really common to see northern lights in Central New York, but photographer Kurt Gardner captured the beautiful conformation of them near Old Forge. We're usually too far south of the North Pole, but sometimes we get lucky.

Auroras are caused by the Sun. The Sun is not only hot and bright, but it's also full of energy and small particles that fall toward Earth. NASA says the protective magnetic field around Earth shields us from most of the energy and particles, and we don't even notice them.

The amount of energy the Sun sends, depends on the streaming solar wind and solar storms. During one kind of solar storm called a coronal mass ejection, the Sun expels a huge bubble of electrified gas that can travel through space at high speeds.

When a solar storm comes toward us, some of the energy and small particles can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth's atmosphere. There, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky. Oxygen gives off green and red light. Nitrogen glows blue and purple. [NASA]