Adkins said the fireworks will happen in conjunction with a Broad Street Bash-style event, complete with live entertainment, food and beverage vendors and other family activities. It’s all a part of the city’s efforts to rebuild its image and attract residents and new businesses by reviving and expanding certain quality of life amenities, officials said.
This year about $25,000 was put into the city’s budget for special events. City officials did not say what the price tag on the fireworks show would be.
“We independently wanted to add quality of life events to the city calendar, and this seemed like a project we could start this year,” Adkins said. “Many of these (quality of life) items cost nothing or next to nothing, and it’s important to people in the community to interact with each other.”
The desire for a July 4 event came to the forefront last year when a citizen-driven fireworks show in the city’s South End drew about 1,000 people near Barnitz Stadium. Police shut down that display, which had taken place annually for the past five or six years, because the organizers did not have the proper permits to legally set off fireworks in the city.
Adkins said the decision to put on a city-sponsored fireworks show was not a response to last July’s incident, but city officials did invite the organizers of the South End show to participate in the event at Smith Park. He said they politely declined the invitation.
Pernell Huff, an organizer of the South End fireworks display, confirmed the city reached out to him. He said the city had offered to help him secure permits in the event he wanted to put on a legal fireworks display this year.
Adkins said the city is working with Broad Street Bash organizers to put on the July 3 event, and there may be other sponsors too.
Adriane Scherrer, an organizer with the Broad Street Bash, said live entertainment will be from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will feature the Rick House Band and DV8, a West Chester band, that has agreed to perform before the fireworks. She said there will be a climbing wall, a bounce house and other amenities “in this collaborative effort between the city and Broad Street Bash organizers.”
As for future years, Adkins hopes the fireworks event will be able to sustain itself. However, he believes the city will continue to sponsor the event until someone else asks to step up.
“It’s important to have community events that bring people out to gather together and enjoy one another’s company,” Adkins said. “If the city doesn’t offer it, somebody else will try to fill in the vacuum.”
(Editor Kevin Aldridge contributed to this report.)
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