One last blast? Families at McIntire want show to go on

Saturday may have been the last time folks lugged lounge chairs and pushed strollers along a wooded path at Charlottesville High School to reach the McIntire Park fireworks show.

But the thought of losing an area tradition didn’t keep local residents from enjoying the Independence Day celebration.

“This is real America,” said Albemarle County resident Alan Collier, wearing an American flag shirt and holding pairs of Diet Cokes and old green folding chairs for himself and his wife.

McIntire Park on July Fourth is one place where “everybody’s equal,” he said.

The future of Charlottesville’s fireworks celebration in McIntire Park is in peril as the group in charge says this will be the last year they put on the festival. Charlottesville’s Save the Fireworks Committee has organized the festival for seven years, but since announcing last month they would be stepping away, nobody else has stepped forward to operate the annual event.

The Save the Fireworks Committee, a band of local businesses, put its remaining $20,000 into Saturday’s festival, according to a committee member.

The bulk of that money was used just for fireworks. In previous years, about $40,000 was spent on the festival.

“I think it’s a shame that this will be the last year,” said Rhonda Edmunds of Albemarle, adding that the McIntire Park Independence Day festival is good, clean family fun that brings the community together.

Edmunds, who has gone to the festival for the past few years, said that she’s read about numerous fireworks shows on the verge of simmering out because of the economy, which she said only worsens the situation.

“People need something like this just to come out and celebrate,” Edmunds said.

Some at McIntire Park were more optimistic than others that a solution would be found. But regardless of the festival’s future, plenty of fun was to be had Saturday.

Children were at the playground by 6:30 p.m., vendors sold cotton candy and pizza in the parking lot and youngsters tossed a football as hundreds of others began marking their territory with blankets and chairs. An American flag flew from a fire truck ladder, high enough to be seen from practically anywhere in the park.

Ruby Johnson, who regularly attends the annual festival, said she normally arrives a couple of hours early, calling it a relaxing atmosphere for her family.

Shane Pritchett, a 12-year-old student at Buford Middle School in Charlottesville, said there was one main reason he went to the festival: “Girls.”

But he also said McIntire Park is a fun place to celebrate Independence Day, because of the “really huge and loud” fireworks, along with a lot of opportunities to play sports and eat good food. Shane said he’s not too worried about whether the July Fourth McIntire Park celebration continues next year, adding that he has other options.

Alan Collier and his wife, Cynthia, both believe that good fortune will prevail and the free fireworks show will continue in coming years.

Cynthia Collier said she thinks people would be willing to pay admission, instead of seeing the festival discontinued or paid for by local government.

Albemarle and Charlottesville government officials have not expressed an interest in taking over the festival. Though local governments didn’t pony up any money for the fireworks display, the city did provide shuttle buses and security.