Holiday firework shows cancelled because of rain

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (WDEF) – A Fourth of July holiday tradition has been cancelled in a couple of areas thanks to Mother Nature.

While the people who organize the annual Fourth of July fireworks show in Chattanooga have not decided whether or not to cancel the big event because of the ongoing threat of heavy rain, organizers of other shows have already made up their mind.

The annual show in Fort Oglethorpe will not go on. Organizers made the announcement during a News 12 morning show interview.

“This weekend, we have already made the decision along with the city of Fort Oglethorpe that we’re going to cancel,” said Event Organizer Chris McKeever.

The decision to cancel the show was based solely on safety.

“We’re in an open field where there is no cover, so running electricity to the flat bed trailers for the speakers and everything is just way too dangerous,” McKeever said.

The city of Collegedale was scheduled to hold its annual Independence Day celebration; a celebration that is usually attended by thousands of people who gather to watch fireworks and listen to live performances. But plans have changed.

“The city officials have decided to delay the concert and fireworks for this year due to the pending bad weather we have during the time everyone would be out here. We’ve already had some rains over the evening; there’s a lot of water standing in the field behind us with the main part of the program takes place, so we think it would be a better time delay until September,” said Assistant Police Chief James Hardeman.

A lot of work goes into planning a fireworks show, but when rain continues to fall and meteorologist predict more rain is on the way; allowing the show to go on becomes a very risky task.

“A whole lot of people are disappointed but in the long run, I think we’ll all be thankful not to be all wet,” Hardeman said.

The Collegedale fireworks show including the concert and other activities will be held on Labor Day.