CONNEAUT —
A Sunday night fireworks display in Conneaut blown away by strong winds may not be rescheduled, officials said Monday.
City administrators were discussing the fate of the fizzled show with American Fireworks, the Hudson company that planned to ignite the pyrotechnics. There’s a good chance the show will be canceled , officials said.
Thousands of people had descended on Conneaut’s lakefront for the 10:15 p.m. display, which capped the city’s four-day Fourth of July Festival. Strong winds buffeted the shoreline, prompting many people who had sweltered one day earlier to pull on jackets and huddle under blankets.
At 10:30 p.m., the decision was made to ditch the display because of unsafe conditions, said Conneaut Fire Chief Steve Lee. Fireworks technicians and city safety personnel feared shells could land and explode in the crowd, he said. Officials waited as long as they could before shelving the show, hoping the wind would die down, Lee said.
“I didn’t feel safe doing it, and they didn’t feel safe doing it,” he said. “It was way too windy.”
Word began to spread through the crowd after a short time, causing a stream of people to the parking lots. It’s believed to be the first fireworks show postponed or canceled in recent memory.
Fairport Harbor also canceled its fireworks display Sunday night because of high winds.
Festival coordinators, who handled arrangements for Conneaut’s display, could not be reached for comment Monday. Recently, festival coordinator Michelle Bailey said the display cost about $10,000, much of it coming from donations. A message left with American Fireworks seeking comment on the status of the display was not immediately returned Monday.
Additional police and firefighters were mobilized Sunday night — at overtime rates — to help with the display and handle traffic, Lee and Police Chief Charles Burlingham said.
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