After a one-year absence, this year’s Fourth of July Fireworks show should work out fine even though the event will not be held at the Lyon County Fairgrounds as it traditionally has been.
Members of the Emporia Police Department, the Emporia Fire Department, the Lyon County Sheriff and the Flint Hills Optimists were on hand at the high school Monday to answer questions from community members about the proposed location for this year’s fireworks — the Jones Aquatic Center.
“We’ve been working to make this happen, to make a good community celebration,” said fire chief Jack Taylor, adding that the purpose of the meeting was to answer questions and concerns from residents and property owners in the area, including schools, churches and businesses. About ten people attended the meeting.
Bernie Toso, of the Optimists club, said plans for the display mirror the displays put on by the club at the fairgrounds in years past, involving mainly aerial fireworks. Toso said the club in the past has looked at changing the location of the display.
“The fireworks should still be the same,” Toso said. “We had a hard time shooting all the fireworks off in 45 minutes in the past, so it should be a good show. I think it’ll be even better than the fairgrounds because your view’s not going to be restricted by buildings and trees and stuff out there.”
A large part of the discussion revolved around parking and traffic control in the area. Officer John Koelsch of the police department said officials are looking at the possibility of making the parking lots at the high school and the tech college available for parking. The aquatic center itself will be off limits, as it is too close to the fire zone.
“We’ve been out and surveyed the area, and we’ll definitely limit parking to some areas to at least one side of the street,” Koelsch said about the roads out in that area. “We won’t eliminate it but we will limit it as far as what we believe the flow is.” He said parking probably will not be allowed on 18th Avenue itself between Graphic Arts Road and the Americus Road.
“We’ll probably allow some along 30th, but only on one side, particularly on the west side of the bridge,” he said. “Those are areas we identified right away.”
Koelsch said traffic control will be similar to the efforts made by the departments during the shows at the fairgrounds.
“This being the first year (at the aquatic center), we’re going to have to do our best guesstimate where people are going to land and where the majority of traffic’s going to come from and how we’re going to mitigate that traffic,” Koelsch said. “We definitely control what way traffic is going to flow,” he said.
Plans for traffic control are still being put together, and Taylor said any final plans will be made available to the public once they are finished.
Amy Ranalli, representing the TRYSA board of directors, expressed concerns about spectators getting onto the soccer fields across 18th Avenue from the aquatic center.
“Our concern is people parking on the fields, people deciding to get out into the fields, shooting their own fireworks like they do,” Ranalli said. “Everyone on that board’s a volunteer, and we certainly don’t want to spend the 5th of July picking up people’s garbage and trying to fix our fields. ...”
Ranalli asked if there would be any kind of parking control for private drives.
“We won’t have the manpower,” Koelsch said. “If you decide to open your parking lot, then it would be your responsibility to control whatever goes on there.” He said if they want to charge money for people to park there to help pay for cleanup, that would be a workable option.
“We will certainly be there to enforce any fireworks regulations as much as possible,” Koelsch said.
“We hope we can have a good fireworks show, a good community event,” Taylor said.
“We want to make it fun and safe for everybody,” Toso said.
rmbcollege (anonymous) says...
I think it is just GREAT that they are having a show this year. People will always find a place to park and you don't have to be really close to see the fireworks.
June 8, 2009 at 9:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
Great news!
June 8, 2009 at 9:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
garyluvssue (anonymous) says...
We think that it is great that the fireworks show is coming back to Emporia. It seemed to be the only one of a handful of towns last year that did not have one. Many went to Olpe, Americus and surrounding towns to watch, this will keep people in town to watch. My main concern is tha parking along the county road to watch the fireworks.
June 9, 2009 at 6:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gooseylucy (anonymous) says...
I too am glad that Emporia will once again have a fireworks display. But a word of warning regarding the trash. Please, please pick up your trash!!
This isn't just a neighborly thing to do, but it may also keep the fireworks display going on every year. If surrounding businesses, schools, home owners etc, have to pick up your trash, they will lobby against having a fireworks display next year. Just imagine if the display was being held in your neighborhood. Would you want all that trash left for you to pick up?
And this holds true for those of you who come to the country to shoot off your fireworks. We don't mind you doing that, just please pick up your trash!!
June 9, 2009 at 8:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
It's great that they are having one, I am not thrilled about the new location though, I fail to see how the fairgrounds was such an issue after it worked just fine for so many years.
June 9, 2009 at 11:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Free4all (anonymous) says...
I see a big traffic jam and confussion ahead. If its at the center but yet it is off limits and no parking on 18th, guess I need to cruise by there and see for myself. But I am happy Emporia is putting something together.
June 9, 2009 at 11:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
It would be nice if the people who own Par For the Course volunteerd or rented their ground for the display.
That way the swimming pool could stay open and be a great place for the family to enjoy the show. The city could even charge for parking for those not swimming. Just a thought from this dumb ole boy.
June 9, 2009 at 12:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mythoughts (anonymous) says...
It would be great to have the pool open for a "late swim". Could they do it as a fundraiser? $15 a head? That might help with crowding at the pool (and rowdy children) as well as help out the pool's annual deficit.
June 9, 2009 at 1:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yellowdog (anonymous) says...
I think it's great that there will be a 4th of July fireworks display, but I too am questioning the site. When the display was at the fairgrounds, it was centrally located and people could find places to park. The western edge is more residential than commercial so parking and traffic will probably be worse than years past. I hate to point out a potential problem without an alternative solution so I guess we'll just have to try this one year and see where the problems lie. If it works, fine. If not, the issue will need to be re-addressed for the next year.
June 9, 2009 at 3:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
garyluvssue (anonymous) says...
It is interesting that they are putting up a bigger buffer area for the fireworks this year. Consider the fact that when when the display was at the fair grounds people could park closer to the display and there was ample parking for people in the fair grounds parking lot and the area parking lots around. Also many people could watch the display from their house in the front or backyard. With the display being held outside of town there is a big worry about where people are going to park and if it true that there are going to be some streets blocked off near the site then there will be no where for people to park. I agree that the swimming pool should be open later in the eve. because of the holiday. Many people, including our family, make a trip to the pool as part of our holiday plans. By doing this you take away from people having things to d until the display.
June 9, 2009 at 9:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gr8ggogli (anonymous) says...
Maybe if they have trouble getting "all the fireworks" off in 45 minutes they should try putting more than one in the sky at once and shorten the delay between individual shots. I never thought I could be bored watching fireworks, but the one that lasted 45 minutes a couple of years back proved me wrong. You shouldn't be shooting them off one at a time unless its a demo shoot and you hand out programs so people can rate the different kinds. At least that would keep your attention.
June 10, 2009 at 10:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
orlando (anonymous) says...
The year that the radio station had music to go with the fireworks was really great. It would be nice to have that again.
Also, Holiday Resort usually has a nice fireworks display.
June 10, 2009 at 1:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...
How does this coordinate with the Twin Rivers festival, josiesbar? I'm happy to have both back, but are they going to conflict?
June 10, 2009 at 2:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spectator (anonymous) says...
yellowdog, I heartily agree.
June 10, 2009 at 4:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
michaelli66 (anonymous) says...
We are one of the largest fireworks export company from Liuyang China(Liuyang is capital of fireworks ,and 75% of fireworks are exported from here in the world),We have been manufacture professional fireworks and consumer fireworks for over years.
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June 10, 2009 at 8:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gr8ggogli (anonymous) says...
orlando: I've heard good things about the holiday Resort show. Do you know if theyre doing it this year? If so when? and what about traffic control there?
michaelli66: Are you the supplier for the big Toso show? Or what? what's your point?
June 10, 2009 at 9:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )