They’re hard to miss on the roadside, those big rectangles painted with bright colors, their banners snapping in the breeze. Just as Christmas tree lots turn up in December and produce stands open in late spring, fireworks stands appear like clockwork near Hill Country roadways in the days leading up to two major holidays, the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve.
When it comes to one San Antonio-based company in particular, however, it seems several generations of a single Texas family has served up sparklers, firecrackers, and aerial displays to folks statewide. Indeed, even before the 1960s when the company first incorporated, one branch of the Girdley family tree had been selling fireworks up in North Texas for decades.
“Officially Alamo Fireworks is a fourth-generation family company,” said Celina Montoya, Alamo’s vice president for community engagement. She noted that she personally has worked for the company since she was 15. “I’ve done everything from operating a stand to operator training to legislative and regulatory work.”
Montoya added that Alamo is the largest, family-owned fireworks company in the state. Today they sell fireworks in 300 roadside stands, in 30 megastores, and through wholesale operations. They operate not only in Texas, but also New Mexico, Nevada, and New Hampshire.
Having married her high school sweetheart, Luke Girdley, whose family owns the company, Montoya has interwoven her professional career into the fabric of the company’s history.
Over time, she’s become attuned to both the ebb and flow of the company’s calendar and the full range of the company’s work.
“We are very process-driven, and since we manage everything from product design to marketing and operator recruitment, it’s important that we maintain an organizational structure [all year] that can address all the needs leading up to, during, and after our selling periods,” said Montoya. “In Texas, our operators remain on premises at all times during the selling period of June 24 to July 4 and December 20 to January 1. If they need anything, we are just a phone call away.”
“Alamo Fireworks has a great reputation,” said Mia Shuler, a teacher supplements her income by helping out at a roadside fireworks stand in Leon Springs. She noted that she also signed up to work for the company because a portion of the stand’s proceeds benefits her church’s mission work. “Alamo is known for being really good about customer refunds when there are problems with a firework. They’re great to work with, here in the stand, because everything about the entire process of setting up, running, and taking the stand down is clear and orderly. Alamo is so professional about it all, very reliable.”
“Many of our operators are teachers, veterans, and nonprofits. We work with them to help them provide for themselves and a number of community partners,” said Montoya. “This year we are particularly excited to be partnering with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in addition to our long-time partnership with SAReads, our land conservation efforts, and community grants with small cities and local neighborhoods.”
Still, when it comes to visiting a roadside fireworks stand in the summer, most customers are thinking less about Alamo’s philanthropy and more about beloved traditions.
For them, it’s all about the holiday’s spectacle and nostalgia.
“We love the Fourth of July, the weather, the kids running around outside with popsicles and water guns,” said Lindsay Merritt of Leon Springs. Merritt and her family have purchased fireworks in the area for years. “It’s just a wonderful way to celebrate our freedom. For our family, part of the celebration is a traditional fireworks display put on by all the men for the wives and kids. They love to pick out the most shocking and awe-inspiring fireworks they can find, and even let the ‘big boys’ join them for a couple where it’s safe. We’ve been celebrating this way since the year our oldest babies were born, and I imagine the tradition will continue.”
Of course, fireworks aren’t just popular in Texas in July and January. They have other uses, too.
“We sell these big sparklers,” said Shuler, gesturing to an impressively long box. “I saw these used in a wedding for the first time, at my niece’s. People held them up to make arches for the couple. It was so pretty to see at dusk, the couple underneath the glow. Customers come in and snap them up just for that kind of thing, to save and use them later.”
“Fireworks are universally celebrated because they have a long tradition of being associated with momentous occasions—Independence Day, New Year’s, graduation ceremonies, and weddings,” added Montoya. “Not only that, but there are so few opportunities to take a moment, look up at the sky, and experience a shared moment together. The tradition of fireworks is all about celebrating together.”
Pamela Price is the founder of TheTexasWildflower.com. She is more of a sparklers and pop-pops girl when it comes to the lighting of fireworks, although she does appreciate a good aerial show from a distance.
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To learn more about Alamo Fireworks, check out the short video we have featuring Celina Montoya on our new IGTV channel.
