Cities across the country canceled fireworks shows this weekend because of struggling municipal budgets.
In a year in which many cities considered cutting workers and raising taxes, a big fireworks show just didn’t seem prudent, many city leaders said. Mid-sized cities such as Redwood, Calif., Ridgefield Park, N.J., and Jersey City, N.J., all scrapped fireworks shows because of the cost, USA Today reported this week.
But in Chattanooga and several other places around the region, the annual July 4th fireworks shows will go on.
In Chattanooga, city leaders were forced to allocate $40,000 more than they expected for the annual Pops on the River show after the original organizer — Downtown Partnership — dissolved and no longer planned to put on the event.
The $40,000 had already been paid to Downtown Partnership, but that was to cover last year’s event, city officials were told, so another $40,000 was needed for this year’s, organized by Allied Arts and Chattanooga Presents.