The last fireworks have been popped. The tents have come down. Fourth of July is over, but money spent on Independence Day firecrackers from some local booths will stay to aid the community.

The Bay Area Church of the Nazarene uses fireworks revenue to support its ministries, said Darcie Schiro, the church’s Sunday school superintendent, who also runs the Nazarene fireworks tent in the Albertson’s parking lot in North Bend.

She explained that selling “Killer Bees,” “Dancing Daisies,” “Crackling Cactus Fountains,” and other brightly packaged fireworks has become an important fundraiser in the past seven years.

“It’s the only way we fund our children’s ministry and youth ministry,” Schiro said.

Unfortunately, while early sales went well, Schiro reported they were way down on the holiday. She blamed the economy.

“We did about half of what we did last year,” Schiro said.

Other fundraising booths in Coos County include one for the Powers Volunteer Fire Department, Fresh Fire International Ministries, Bible Baptist Church in Coquille and Myrtle Point High School’s junior class.

According to the state Fire Marshal’s Office, 30 vendors held permits to sell fireworks in Coos County. The number  was down one from 2008 but the same as 2007.

The Bay Area AMVETS Post 10 fared better than the Nazarenes. Bill Kehler, a member of the veterans’ organization who helped run the post’s fireworks booth in the parking lot of Safeway in Coos Bay, said it made a little more than $3,000 on Independence Day. That’s a little better than 2008.

“What we expected to make, we made,” Kehler said. “We’ve always had a clientele that comes back every year.”

The local AMVETS post has peddled fireworks for almost 25 years, which helps support the organization as well as the troops, Kehler said. The booth also gives a 10 percent discount to veterans.

On Friday, plenty of people could be found stopping at the booth, including a few who went to the grocery store first.

Coos Bay resident Floyd Montiel was there with his wife, Tammie, and children Tatum and Dominic. He said his family buys fireworks every year and went to the AMVETs booth last year as well. Montiel spent about $30 and didn’t worry about the economy.

“It’s a Fourth of July tradition and the kids enjoy it,” he said. “They’re expensive, but no, it’s fine.”

At McKay’s Freshmart in Coos Bay, where the fireworks didn’t come with a cause, store manager Steve Hasel said sales were pretty slow. McKay’s other stores also saw low fireworks sales.

But after the holiday, spending skyrocketed to a level on par with prior years. Freshmart sold about 50 percent of its fireworks stock, which is pretty close to average, he explained.

Most people bought their fireworks on the Fourth of July, he said. He suspects they waited for the weekend when they had time to shop.

“We did better than I thought we were going to,” Hasel said.