As bright red and gold sparks threatened Texas skies, ingenious residents came together to fight back by creating a church.
The exasperated residents of Eden Road South near Mansfield, Texas became concerned about potential noise and light coming from the property of their new neighbour, Joe Sterling.
A clever loophole in the law saw them set up two churches to prevent fireworks from being set off nearby.
When Joe set up a firework stand on his property, an undeveloped lot, locals began to look for loopholes to protect themselves, saying they were worried about the noise, their quality of life and their animals.
Mr Sterling’s plan was to use his Joe Dirt’s fireworks business to have a ‘pay-to-pop’ service, which would encourage people to have a go at using fireworks safely.
He hoped it would be accepted in the local community, which is a mix of residential and commercial properties, and would be useful in explaining firework safety in the led up to the Fourth of July celebrations this year.
Residents like Neil Foreman, who moved to the Lone Sar State from California, felt they had been blasted awake from a dream when the word of the firework stand began.
‘We weren’t in paradise, you know. But we weren’t far off,’ Neil, originally from Chingford, East London, told NBC.
Neil said he moved there with his wife and children to raise their rescued racehorse Benji, who he is worried about being near fireworks.
‘We were all pretty concerned before because he put up a bunch of stadium lights and bulldozed what was a nice area,’ said Mr Foreman, as residents explained it wasn’t just the fireworks they were worried about.
Neil and other neighbours like Kate Zimmerman approached Tarrant County leaders.
One of them laughed when told of the plan to create a church by residents.
Under Texas law, fireworks cannot be set off within 600 feet of a church.
One of the churches was set up at Mr Foreman’s property and was named ‘The Church of Peace and Quiet,’ another one at local Jay Hasbrouck was named ‘Faith United Cowboy Church.’
Mr Sterling branded the attempt to stop his firework stand in the name of God and a quiet life as ‘blasphemy.’
The federal government and the state of Texas do not have strict definitions of what constitutes a church.
A hearing is scheduled for next week after a Tarrant County judge granted a temporary restraining order on Mr Sterling’s business.
