Thousands of residents expecting a spectacular fireworks show July 4 got more of a sizzle when cities canceled their displays because of bad weather.
As the sun set on Independence Day, winds whipped through the West Valley at speeds up to 40 mph, causing a safety hazard for event goers.
Tents had to be held down against the winds at Goodyear Community Park, and the fields were evacuated because of lightning, said Nora Fascenelli, a spokeswoman for Goodyear.
"A line of thunderstorms moved into the greater Phoenix area and really pelted the west side of the Valley," she said.
The decision to cancel Goodyear's fireworks came at about 7:30 p.m., two hours before the show was scheduled to start, Fascenelli said.
"It's so rare that we ever have to call off an event because of weather in Arizona," she said. "Even during the unpredictable monsoon in the summer, we almost always can go forward."
With almost all of the 9,000 attendees being bused to the event from nearby locations, the priority became getting people back to their cars before the storm worsened, Fascenelli said.
"I don't think it was an overabundance of caution, I think it was appropriate caution that was exercised by our city officials," she said.
Goodyear plans to reschedule its fireworks to coincide with one of the city's fall festivals, Fascenelli said.
"We will still have that coming; it's just going to be delayed," she said. "We will certainly give a lot of advance notice when we have finalized which event we'll pair it with."
The city didn't lose any money on the fireworks, which cost $15,000 and are still in "perfect condition," Fascenelli said. Attendees who purchased the $10 wrist bands for the event's rides were given a full refund.
Ten miles to the east, Tolleson officials struggled with the decision whether or not to light off fireworks moments before the show started, City Manager Reyes Medrano Jr. said.
"We talked about it right up until the decision to light them," he said. "We were lucky, because we're the most easterly city and I think we had more time than the other cities."
About 4,000 people attended Tolleson's show, which was held at Veterans Park, 86th Avenue and Van Buren Street.
"With some of the other cities, I think the locations that they launch have more open area and I can definitely understand that concern," Medrano said. "The likelihood of a fire is far less in that area of Tolleson."
Buckeye officials also waited until the last minute, but eventually decided to cancel their fireworks in light of 40 mph winds, said Deanna Kupcik, president and CEO of the Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Kupcik announced Monday that Buckeye's fireworks would not be rescheduled anytime soon. The Chamber had the fireworks sponsored, so it will be able to use them at a later date, she said.
"I talked to our parks and recreation department and there really isn't a time to gather people again and reschedule that," she said.
The rest of the town's Fourth of July events went "very well," said Bob Bushner, spokesman for Buckeye.
"Even though they were disappointed that the fireworks were canceled, they certainly understood with the high winds," he said.
Residents in Litchfield Park partied on all night as city officials held on to the possibility of having a fireworks display until about 10 p.m., Assistant City Manager Sonny Culbreth said.
City officials were in touch with Luke Air Force Base every 15 minutes to check on the approaching storm, he said.
"Every time we would get ready to shoot, thinking the wind had died down enough for us to do a test shot, then it would gust again," Culbreth said. "We had to make the decision to be safe. That was the most important thing; the well-being and safety of the public is always our first concern."
Litchfield Park plans to reschedule its fireworks display for the Labor Day weekend, he said.
"That's the next holiday, and we didn't want to just shoot them for no purpose," Culbreth said.
Emily McCann can be reached by e-mail
at emccann@westvalleyview.com.
