NYT: Fire fears curb 4th of July displays

July 4th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

EDGEWATER, Colo. — Independence Day this year will include the customary array of barbecues, parades and ice cream. Fireworks, though, might be harder to come by.

From Colorado to Indiana, Wyoming to Missouri, dozens of cities and towns have decided to scrap their fireworks displays — the cherished denouement of July 4 revelry — driven by parched conditions, vicious wildfires and sometimes a simple hunch that putting on a show this year might leave too much to Mother Nature’s mood.

With the recession bearing down in recent years, some cities had already been scaling back their celebrations. But this summer, it is the weather that is largely causing skittish city officials to take a pass.

Wyoming now focus of nation’s firefighting efforts

“The way I look at it, I’d rather preside over the chamber that canceled the fireworks one year than preside over the chamber that burned the school down,” said Dale Seward, president of the local Chamber of Commerce in Delphi, Ind., a city of 3,000 that is forgoing its fireworks show because of a lack of rain.

The same goes for Weldon Spring, Mo., near St. Louis, which canceled its fireworks event as searing heat and drought conditions have scorched the region. “I can’t even remember the last time we had rain,” said Will Klein, executive director of the Cottleville-Weldon Spring Chamber of Commerce. “This year, there’s very little green to anybody’s grass anymore. Even the trees are starting to crisp up. The risks of sparking a fire outweighed the event.”

Perhaps in no place have the cancellations been more widespread than here in Colorado, where wildfires have been blazing for weeks and residents of Colorado Springs spent the last week sifting through what is left of the blackened neighborhoods charred by the Waldo Canyon fire.

Fireworks displays planned for many communities around the state, like Aspen, Aurora and Boulder, were canceled — though large shows in Denver and Commerce City were still scheduled.

“We felt it would be irresponsible for us to hold a fireworks show that would require fire resources,” said Karlyn Tilley, a spokeswoman for the city of Golden, nestled in the foothills near Denver.

In years past, the city typically held its fireworks show on the football field at the Colorado School of Mines. Not this summer.

“We have firefighters from Golden working on various wildfires around the state,” Ms. Tilley said. “We felt it was important they focus on the fires and protecting our residents.”

Story: Fireworks industry in biggest slump since Vietnam War era

Julie L. Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, a trade group for the fireworks industry, said that weather cancellations were not uncommon, and she pointed out that thousands of fireworks shows will go on as planned this week.

Austin, Tex., buoyed by much-needed rain, was moving ahead with its fireworks show after drought conditions led to the event being called off last year.

Still, those in the commercial fireworks industry conceded that this year seemed especially bad as far as the number of shows canceled.

“I would say this year, we have had more than we’re used to because of the drought conditions around the country,” Ms. Heckman said.

In some places, like Wheaton, Ill., it was not so much the heat but damaging storms that prompted city officials to scratch its fireworks show.

Triple-digit temps back as power slowly restored

Elsewhere, budget constraints still played a role. In Monterey, Calif., which dropped its official fireworks display beginning in 2009 because of money constraints, a less costly laser light show is planned for this year. The show is being presented by the Monterey Bay Symphony and paid for through private donations and sponsorship.

In Edgewater, a city of 5,200 on the edge of Denver, thousands of people typically flow into town to see the fireworks on the evening of July 3. But the numbers have been tough for the city to handle, said Mayor Bonnie McNulty, as has the cost, which can run up to $30,000.

And with Sheriff Ted Mink deciding to cancel all commercial fireworks displays in Jefferson County, where Edgewater is, because of extreme fire conditions, there was little choice but to call off the event.

PTSD has many vets dreading July 4 celebrations

“I think most people are relieved because of the cost and the traffic flow,” Ms. McNulty said, adding that she could not recall a time when the event was canceled before.

Richard Luna, who owns a salon on Edgewater’s main thoroughfare, has been taking his children to see the fireworks here for years and described how thousands of people watched the show from perches along the city’s quaint streets and nearby Sloan’s Lake. While disappointed, Mr. Luna said he understood the need to cancel the event this year.

“Out of respect for the families that lost their homes in these fires, I’m O.K. with it,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll have it again next year.”

This story, “Fears of fires take toll on cities’ fireworks shows,” originally appeared in The New York Times.