Fireworks canceled at Vastwood Park

 

By Dave Taylor

Hancock County will celebrate freedom on July 4 like many other counties and towns, in dark silence imposed by fears over a worldwide pandemic and by governmental restrictions on public gatherings.

The Hancock County Fiscal Court voted Monday to cancel the annual fireworks show at Vastwood Park after delaying the decision in earlier meetings in the hopes that the show could still go on.

“The fireworks issue we said we were going to discuss at a later date and this is the date we need to discuss it,” said judge-executive Johnny “Chic” Roberts in the meeting that was held via teleconference.

“I think we need to cancel the fireworks, I really do,” District 1 Magistrate Wayne Hodskins said to begin the discussion.

Hodskins said that keeping attendees apart would be difficult or impossible, and even if everyone were restricted to their own vehicles it could still cause problems.

“If we do it from people sitting in cars it’s going to be a mess for EMS and everybody else out there and I’d like to make a motion to cancel it,” he said.

Roberts said he wanted to have the fireworks celebration but the county would have to follow the regulations set by Governor Andy Beshear, which as of Monday would preclude even small celebrations because of restrictions on crowd sizes.

“We talked a month ago about let’s see what June guidance would be,” he said. “We’re at groups of 10 right now. June 29 we’re allowed to go to groups of 50.”

He didn’t say how many usually attend the fireworks, but it’s exponentially more than 50 as it draws spectators from not just the county but from neighboring counties and Indiana as well.

“I just don’t know how, with the governor’s guidance of groups of 50, I don’t know how we can have it,” he said.

The contract with the fireworks company stipulated that if the county didn’t give enough notice that it planned to cancel that it would have to pay a fee, but Roberts told the council in other meetings that the county was already past the deadline to avoid the fee so there was no harm in waiting to decide.

“Obviously I want to have the fireworks; that’s why we’ve waited till now to make what I call a last-minute decision,” he said.

Roberts explained that the contract is also written in a way that it’s better for the county to cancel the celebration and reschedule than to keep the contract and push back the date.

Other magistrates agreed with Hodskins, that the celebration should be canceled regardless of state restrictions.

“I agree with Wayne,” said District 2 Magistrate Kasey Emmick. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to have it because so many other counties and stuff are not having it. We’re going to bring in a lot of people from other counties and states.”

And he pointed out that students would be returning to school in late August and having a large gathering might jeopardize that.

“If they do go back to school in August, you’re looking at a big group gathering right there on July 4 and then a month later school starting,” he said. “…So I don’t think it’d be a good idea, and with the governor’s restrictions I think it’s in our best interest just to put it off this year.”

The magistrates voted unanimously to cancel the event.

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