Rockville Won't Follow Gaithersburg With Fireworks
Gaithersburg will deliver "a mid-summer celebration" on July 13 that includes fireworks.
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Gaithersburg will celebrate a bigger, belated version of the Fourth of July—on July 13 with an event called “Finally, Fireworks!”
Rockville won't be doing the same, a city spokeswoman said late Thursday.
"Part of the reason the decision to cancel was so hard was that we would not be able to reschedule," City Spokeswoman Marylou Berg said in response to an email question from Rockville Patch asking whether Rockville might follow Gaithersburg's lead.
Rockville announced the cancellation of its Fourth of July festivities on Monday. Montgomery County and Gaithersburg did the same. Fireworks in Poolesville, Takoma Park and on the National Mall went on as scheduled.
Dubbed “a midsummer celebration featuring live music, food, and spectacular fireworks,” gates at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg open at 5 p.m. July 13, according to a City of Gaithersburg press release.
The celebration, sponsored in part by the Montgomery County Agricultural Center, is a result of officials canceling this year's Fourth of July festivities in the wake of this Friday's violent storm system that left much of the state's population in the dark.
Live music by Bobby and the Believers goes from 7:30 p.m. until dusk, or about 9:25 p.m.—when the fireworks display begins, according to the release.
A rain date for the fireworks only has been set for July 14, according to the release.
The release provided these notes about accessing the fairgrounds, located at 16 Chestnut Street in Gaithersburg:
- Walk in at Chestnut or Dalamar Streets; the Perry Parkway entrance to the fairgrounds will be closed.
- No unauthorized cars will be allowed in the fairgrounds.
- Those with handicap tags or stickers will be allowed access to the fairgrounds through the gates at the Dalamar Street entrance.
Call 301-258-6350 or e-mail parksrec@gaithersburgmd.gov for more information.
kevin kinsey
9:19 am on Friday, July 6, 2012
If Rockville had any common sense rescheduling would be one of the more important things on their agenda. Why? After any event that causes stress the way this storm has, people need a release. In this case putting the storms and its damage behind us. When Hurricane Andrew hit us in Miami they put an entire movie theater on generaters and about 8000 of us waited just so we can escape what we were facing. We went about two more weeks without power or water. Way to go Rockville!
Theresa Defino
9:48 am on Friday, July 6, 2012
Doesn't it sound like Rockville WANTED to reschedule? Fireworks generally are outsourced and the companies are selected and scheduled years in advance. I don't know why Gburg could reschedule and Rockville couldn't--assuming there are different firms involved...sounds like a follow-up question Patch should ask. What are the financial implications of cancelling vs. rescheduling or not?
Sean R. Sedam
11:59 am on Friday, July 6, 2012
That's a logical follow-up, Theresa. News of the rescheduled Gaithersburg celebration broke yesterday afternoon and we received a response from Rockville early yesterday evening.
I've posed your question to Rockville. The city cited public safety as a reason for canceling on the Fourth of July. You might be right that it was a logistics or financial issue that prevented the city from rescheduling. I hope to hear more later today.
Mark Pierzchala
2:08 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
The Rockville Mayor and Council will discuss it at their Monday meeting July 9, probably during the old/new business item.
mark
3:07 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
The discussion on fireworks will take place right after the usual council fireworks between Pierzchala/Moore and Marcuccio/Newton.
Tom Rossing
3:51 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
The simple logic in my opinion appears to be the lack of a facility to put on the show later in the month in Rockville. If you stop, and look, you will see the the location (Montgomery College) is in summer session at other times beyound the 4th. It also host a baseball league and other activities with prior committments. Thus, there is no other time, or place for a Rockville Mulligan. Wait til next year.
Rocky
4:14 pm on Friday, July 6, 2012
Maybe Rockville could have the fireworks in the Great Indoors parking lot !