As a new year rapidly approaches and brings with it cause for celebration, Meridian and Lauderdale County residents are preparing to mark the occasion with bursts of fireworks.

Fireworks, for many Americans, are synonymous with the new year, but even experienced adults are encouraged to celebrate safely by taking some simple safety precautions.

Mississippi Sen. Jeff Tate, owner of Tate’s Fireworks, said residents can stay safe by planning ahead in case something does go wrong.

“When it comes to fireworks it’s always important to have a plan,” he said. “You want to not expect for anything bad to happen, but be prepared. When you’re prepared you are not as prone to panic. Panicking causes it to where you’ll be inefficient in addressing whatever problems are there.”

Tate said recent rain has saturated the ground so residents don’t have to worry about catching yards, pastures or woods on fire; however, he still encourages everyone to practice firework safety by making sure that the area is clear and fireworks have no obstructions on their way to the sky.

The weather on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will be nice, so people shouldn’t have any problems observing their fireworks go off.

For those unsure of which fireworks to use to ring in the new year, there is a solution.

“Here at Tate’s Fireworks in Marion and Collinsville, we’ve got display monitors all throughout the store that shows what each one of our better fireworks do,” said Tate.

The display also shows how high the fireworks go, as well as their color.

“We just want to be here to be able to help,” he said.

Of course, the new year is about more than just fireworks.

Cayden Wright, an employee of Tate’s Fireworks said, “To me and my family it means new traditions if we have any, new beginnings and starting a new chapter of your life. That’s the way I look at it.”

Many people see the start of a new year as a chance to let go of any negative memories from the year before or a positive continuation of the year prior.

“Whether it’s continuing on to another great year, or looking past something that happened that was tragic. This is just a way to start it off, and this is the way we celebrate. We celebrate by lighting up the sky,” said Tate.