OCEAN CITY — A decision on the Fourth of July fireworks is still looming despite an informal announcement earlier this week the annual holiday tradition was being postponed for now.
Near the close of Monday’s marathon Mayor and Council meeting, City Manager Doug Miller informally announced the Fourth of July fireworks were going to be postponed and staff was working on alternative dates later in the summer. Miller later explained the belief was the town was not far enough along in the COVID-19 recovery plan to hold the Fourth of July fireworks and the thousands of people they concentrate at the Boardwalk and uptown.
Miller’s announcement at the close of Monday’s meeting was surprisingly met with little or no discussion. Miller said the Fourth fireworks were going to be postponed unless there was an objection from the council. At the time there was no objection, likely because the Mayor and Council and staff were a little punch-drunk from the marathon discussion earlier about the spike in violent crime and increased enforcement strategies.
Miller said later in the week some on the council had expressed an interest in revisiting the Fourth of July fireworks issue and that discussion could happen during next Tuesday’s planned work session. While the issue is still up for debate, it appears the majority of the council will likely be in favor of postponing.
Miller said the final decision would have to come quickly. Already, with the Fourth of July looming in three weeks, the town is pushing up against some deadlines with the fireworks company and the show’s producer. If the decision to postpone the Fourth fireworks is finalized, town staffers are already working on alternative dates, according to Miller.
“We have a couple of dates in mind,” he said on Thursday. “If we get the air show later in the summer, we could do the fireworks in conjunction with that event. Another idea is a big Labor Day event, not to celebrate the end of summer but the beginning of our fall festival season.”
Last month, with the Fourth of July still six months away, the Mayor and Council weighed the possibility of still hosting the holiday tradition and agreed to put down the $13,750 non-refundable deposit for the $55,000 contract with the fireworks vendor. The deposit ensures the Fourth of July fireworks will be utilized at a later date if the annual holiday tradition is postponed as expected.
