OJAI : Fireworks Show May Be Canceled
Organizers of Ojai’s Independence Day observance are facing a countdown to salvage their fireworks show after a pyrotechnics firm backed out on a contract.
The committee of a dozen volunteers has until Friday to find a state-licensed fireworks shooter. Otherwise, the city’s insurance will not cover the planned 30-minute show.
“Shooters are in short supply on the 4th of July, so it looks pretty glum,” committee member Walt Reimer said Saturday.
Last year’s fireworks at Ojai Valley Community Stadium drew 3,000 people, while thousands more watched from their homes.
Reimer said Pyro Spectaculars in Rialto agreed April 30 to provide fireworks for $4,500 after promising to deliver a larger display than other firms.
The company sent a signed contract that the Ojai committee returned May 17 with a $1,000 deposit raised from community donations, Reimer said. But on June 4, a Pyro Spectaculars representative called to say the firm had overbooked for the 4th of July, could not perform in Ojai and had not received the check, Reimer said. He added that the check sent by the committee had not been deposited.
A private attorney investigating the contract dispute has been unable to reach the Rialto firm. No representative of the firm could be reached for comment Saturday.
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