Though it may not be the decision he wanted to make, or the popular one, Mossyrock Mayor Randall Sasser made the decision to cancel the city’s Fourth of July fireworks show and ban all fireworks within city limits due to the extremely dry conditions in the area.
“This is the first time we’ve had to cancel a show since 1973, at least as far as I can remember,” Sasser said.
While Sasser added he had already taken some heat from residents angry about the show’s cancelation, not all residents were disappointed. Marcus and Amy Hadaller spoke with The Chronicle and explained why they didn’t mind the show’s cancellation.
“The danger is real right now and there’s a lot of people who could lose everything with a big fire around here,” Amy Hadaller said.
Fireworks have already started six wildfires in the Pacific Cascadia Region as of July 3, according to the Washington state Department of Natural Resources (DNR). With the forecast showing nothing but dry, sunny days ahead, fire conditions are expected to continue worsening. Much of the region remains under a red flag warning.
To get updates from the DNR concerning wildfires, visit https://twitter.com/waDNR_fire.
While the fireworks may have been canceled, Sasser and the rest of his staff were still out grilling in the heat and handing out free hot dogs during and after Mossyrock’s Freedom Festival parade.
Hundreds lined the streets of downtown Mossyrock while a procession of nearly 100 cars slowly drove through with drivers and passengers tossing candy out to the crowd as they drove by.
For those looking for fireworks Tuesday night, consider Summerfest at the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds. The City of Centralia’s fireworks display at the fairgrounds starts at 10:20 p.m. For more information, visit https://downtowncentralia.org/events/summerfest-2023 or https://southwestwashingtonfairgrounds.org/events/4th-of-july-derby-fireworks/.
For another local option, read here: https://www.chronline.com/stories/a-symphony-in-the-sky-fireworks-are-boistfort-familys-community-gift,321716
