GLEN ROCK, Pa. -- In the middle of a cornfield near this tiny town about 40 miles north of Baltimore, a half-dozen small structures with no exterior markings hide an explosive treasure: the fireworks for one-third of Maryland's Fourth of July shows.

As Marylanders spend their weekend gazing skyward, they might consider this: Every piece of fireworks that is legally exploded overhead has spent the past few weeks out of state, usually in Pennsylvania. Why? The answer lies neither in transportation routes nor in the perceived tax advantages of the Keystone State, but in Maryland law.

Maryland prohibits the overnight storage of display fireworks within its borders -- just one of several obscure rules that make the Free State anything but when it comes to Independence Day.

"It's crazy," says Paige Reed, an owner of Fireworks Productions Inc. The 9-year-old company is based in Cecil County but maintains the Pennsylvania facility to comply with the law. "We would prefer to store in our home state. But that's the way it is. We do shows in six states, and Maryland is the most difficult because so many regulations are involved."

To be sure, the myriad of measures governing fireworks in Maryland does bring important benefits.

Fire insurance companies say the state is among the safest places on July 4. State officials say the storage ban has cut theft of fireworks and illegal sales. The state fire marshal, who enforces the laws, boasts that there have been no reported injuries from fireworks during the past two Independence Days.

But there is a backlash. Americans of all stripes -- boaters to barbecue enthusiasts to the organizers of some of the state's 203 licensed fireworks shows--complain that the Maryland laws contradict the spirit of the holiday.

"It's the small towns and camps that suffer, because they've got so many regulations in your state, it pushes up the cost of putting on a show," says George R. Zambelli Sr., owner of Zambelli Fireworks Internationale, the Pennsylvania company that produces the Inner Harbor show and dozens more around the state. "Laws like Maryland's don't belong in this country. What's more American than fireworks?"

"It's part of the pain of putting on a show," says Bud Williams, a retired Baltimore County firefighter who helps organize the Loch Raven-area fireworks display. "There are so many things to do and rules to follow. I feel like a chicken with my head cut off."

In Maryland, 30 years of lawmaking has turned the simple pleasure of a backyard fireworks display into an outdated rite known only to scofflaws and a few law-abiding citizens old enough to have seen Brooks Robinson play.

Public displays attract more

In parts of the state, do-it-yourselfers can still use a few kinds of sparklers -- "Snap-N-Pops," "Black Cobra Snakes" and "Party Poppers" -- that are locally made and sold. But three of the most populous localities -- Baltimore City and Prince George's and Montgomery counties -- have banned the use and possession of all fireworks.

As a result, more Marylanders are attending public displays, from the big show on the water in Annapolis to the small Potomac Fish and Game Club display in a meadow next to its clubhouse in Williamsport. But the strict regulations have made shows increasingly costly and complicated.

Youth camps drop tradition

Most of the state's boys and girls camps, hotbeds of summer fireworks a generation ago, have stopped putting on shows (American Camping Association officials say that none of the 40 accredited camps in Maryland has fireworks shows). Organizers the 33-year-old Loch Raven show say that new construction close to the launch site could force them to relocate next year.

That could lure even more people to the Inner Harbor display, which brings so many boats into the narrow waterway that Steve Phillips, a U.S. Coast Guard specialist, calls the Fourth "the most dangerous day of the year for boating." That is in spite of Coast Guard regulations that prohibit traffic in shipping lanes and within 1,000 feet of the barge from which the fireworks are shot.

"I love the harbor, but I stay away from there on the Fourth," says Paul Hickox, who owns three boats and works for a local boating retailer. "There are so many boats, they create waves that can knock you over."

Sponsors struggle with laws

Towns and nonprofit groups that sponsor fireworks shows for the first time are similarly bowled over by a maze of well-intentioned laws.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is known for inspecting fireworks companies the week before the Fourth of July. The Federal Aviation Administration asks for notice of any show that might appear in flight paths. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires training for drivers to move fireworks, and applies such rigorous restrictions that many trucking companies and railroads refuse to handle the shells used in public displays.

Laws carry hidden costs

At first glance, Maryland's requirements seem cheap: The price of a permit from the state fire marshal's office is $50.

But the permit carries hidden costs. Maryland is one of a half-dozen states that require pyrotechnicians -- the people who light the fireworks -- to have licenses. A licensee -- there are 235 "licensed pyros" in Maryland -- must be 21 or older, pass a criminal background check, show experience as an apprentice and pass a test with 50 questions, multiple choice and essay.

The state permit also requires that any show -- even a small one -- be open to the public, which can increase costs associated with crowd control, organizers say. Permit-holders must also carry at least $1 million in liability insurance.

"Maryland is very strict, and I think that promotes safety. It also means the Fourth of July can be fairly complicated," says John Allen, who developed a fireworks policy for Dolliff Inc. in Minneapolis, which insures several Maryland shows.

Nighttime storage banned

But no rule rankles like the state's ban on overnight storage. At the Fireworks Productions storage facility in Glen Rock, the 40-foot containers carry fireworks with the destination written in red marker: "College Park," "Fort Meade," "Greenbelt." Inside one container are dozens of boxes headed for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra shows at Oregon Ridge.

Dennis and Donna Coster, who live in Baltimore County, commute over the state line to supervise the storage facility and a staff that swelled this week with part-timers, including their 17-year-old son. More than 60 percent of the company's business is done around the Fourth. "We are one big family of people from Maryland who come here to do a job," says Donna Coster.

Postponement adds to work

This week, the staff worked into the evenings to load a dozen yellow Ryder trucks a day with racks that hold the fireworks. But the explosives themselves cannot be put on the trucks until the day of the show. The nightmare here would be a rainstorm tonight washing out the shows.

"Our rain date is Sunday, July 5," says Greg Morgan, general chairman of Catonsville's show. "But instead of keeping the fireworks overnight, the law requires us to put them back on the trucks and have them taken to Pennsylvania for the night. They would be redelivered to us the next morning."

Many of the people working here this week are licensed pyrotechnicians, who will shoot the fireworks they load onto the trucks.

Dennis Coster, an engineer at Baltimore Gas and Electric, will light the fireworks at Oregon Ridge. Tom Wright, 45, took time off from his job as a meat cutter at the Giant in The Rotunda in Baltimore. Tomorrow night, he will be the pyrotechnician at Havre de Grace.

"Having to come up here can be a pain," says Wright. "But when Sunday night comes, all of this is forgotten, and I think about putting on a great show. I just love to paint the sky."

Fourth of July fireworks

Anne Arundel County

Annapolis Harbor. Starts at 9 p.m. No parking at U.S. Naval Academy. Call 410-263-7940.

Baltimore

1% Harborplace. Starts at 9: 30 p.m.

Baltimore County

Oregon Ridge. Fireworks after Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Star-Spangled Spectacular, which begins at 8 p.m. Call 410-783-8000.

Catonsville. Fireworks at 9 p.m. at Catonsville High School. Call 410-744-7042.

Heritage Fair, Dundalk Village. Fireworks at 9: 15 p.m. at North Point Government Center. Call 410-284-4022.

Towson, Fireworks at Sherwood House lawn at Cromwell Valley Park, Cromwell Bridge Road. Call 410-665-4322 or 410-661-8249.

Carroll County

Carroll County Farm Museum, Westminster. Fireworks at 9: 30 p.m. Call 410-848-7775 or 800-654-4645.

Harford County

Bel Air. Fireworks at 9: 30 p.m. at Bel Air High School complex. Call 410-893-4444.

Havre de Grace. Fireworks at 9: 15 p.m. tomorrow at Tydings Park.

Howard County

Lake Kittamaqundi, Columbia. Fireworks at 9: 30 p.m. Parking at lakefront lots, the Mall and Merriweather Post Pavilion. Call 410-740-4545.

Ocean City

Fourth of July Fireworks Jubilee, off boardwalk at 9: 30 p.m. Call ++ 410-250-0125.

Fourth of July Jamboree at the Park, Northside Park at 125th Street. Fireworks at 9: 30 p.m. Call 410-250-0125.

Pub Date: 7/04/98