Another One Bites The Dust: City Cancels Annual July 3 Fireworks

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jan 27, 2010 8:00PM

Another popular city event has been trimmed thanks to the City's ongoing budget crisis. The annual July 3 fireworks that accompany the Taste of Chicago will not happen in 2010, Mayor Daley's office announced today, citing budgetary concerns. Instead, the city will hold 3 separate fireworks displays on July 4: one at Navy Pier and one each at a TBD location on the North and South Sides.

Megan McDonald, spokeswoman for the Mayor's Office of Special Events, said in a statement, "...like in every level of government, the bad economy has challenged us to do more with less and to even more efficiently manage our limited resources." While there's no word yet on how much the three smaller events will cost, the Sun-Times reports that canceling the July 3 event - which usually brings around a million people to the lakefront - will save the city $1 million.

In case you needed reminding of the events that have been cut or trimmed, Prescott covered that back in October when the Mayor's budget was proposed (and later passed).