Downright weird: After I grabbed chicken drumsticks but before I got the soda for today's family barbecue, I headed for the seasonal aisle and picked up some fireworks. Until recently illegal in Rhode Island, now they're flanked by paper muffin-cup liners at Stop & Shop.

What's allowed, outdoors only, under the new fireworks law (pdf):

Certain fireworks and devices that are exempt from the definitions of Display Fireworks and Aerial Consumer Fireworks shall include, but are not limited to, the following: ground-based and hand-held sparkling devices (non-aerial fireworks) as defined in APA 87-1 2001 Edition sections 3.1.1 and 3.5, and include the following: fountains, illuminating torches, wheels, ground spinners, flitter sparklers, sparkers; novelties, which are defined in the APA 87-1 2001 Edition section 3.2 and include the following: party poppers, snappers, toy smoke devices, snakes, glow worms, wire sparklers and dipped sticks; paper caps containing not more than twenty-five hundredths (0.025) grains of explosive mixture ammunition to be consumed by weapons used for sporting and hunting purposes, and model rockets and model rocket engines, designed, sold and used for the purpose of propelling recoverable aero models). The storage, possession, sale, transportation and use of the items in the above reference section that are not included in the definition of Display Fireworks and Aerial Consumer Fireworks shall be allowed at all times throughout the state for persons at least sixteen (16) years of age.