City of Chicago cancels July 3 fireworks show

[Ralph Wiggum]

First no free ponies, then no free fireworks.

The Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events has decided to cancel the traditional July 3 fireworks celebration in Grant Park, instead opting to organize three smaller fireworks on July 4 at Navy Pier and on the north and south lakefront.

The city has been holding the show on July 3 since 1975, starting at Olive Park north of Navy Pier, then moving to Grant Park in 1978. It replaced a longtime private show run by the American Legion at Soldier Field.

LINKY

[thundley4]

First no free ponies, then no free fireworks.

LINKY

IIRC, several communities here cancelled their 4th of July festivities, or combined them with other communities.

[Crazy Horse]

Our fireworks were cancelled last year at Ocracoke NC, though some of us saw them and had the unfortunate visions of seeing one dead and four badly hurt, only to have three of the four also die that day and the following.  I don't know if they will ever have em again.

Though this sucks for those in Chicago as this was a continuation of something the Legion put on.

[kenth]

A shame, but they're expensive and dangerous. A youth organization in Ada, OK always puts on a full day of activities with fireworks on the 4th at the city park. They work hard all year getting donations, the bulk of which goes to the fireworks display. The city firemen set them off from the dam area of the lake, and there's always one that misfires and has the firemen diving for cover.

[Ralph Wiggum]

The Chicago fireworks have always been treated as a big deal.  Before I moved there, I thought it was weird to have them on the 3rd.  My brother-in-law had a boat at Burnham Harbor, and we would go there to watch.  Very cool to watch the fireworks along the lake shore either in Chicago or Milwaukee.