VENTURA : Time Change Urged for July 4 Fireworks

A committee of Ventura City Council members is studying whether the city should switch its July 4th fireworks program from pre-dawn back to early evening.

Bob van der Valk, a resident, asked the council this week to consider the change along with a ban on open alcoholic beverage containers in public a few days before and after the holiday.

Evening fireworks are a tradition that his family treasures, he said, and one that would be good for the city’s economy because the light show attracts overnight tourists.

Perhaps more than that is the prospect of getting up before dawn, he admitted.

“I couldn’t get my kids, my wife, and myself out of bed,” said the father of four who ran unsuccessfully last year for City Council.

The city switched the fireworks from dusk to pre-dawn because of difficulty controlling rowdy crowds that gathered at the beach and consumed alcohol. The last three years, the show has taken place just before dawn.

Councilman Gary Tuttle, chairman of the committee studying fireworks, said he is not likely to argue for a change back to dusk. He said he and his daughter attended the last evening fireworks display.

“It was one of the most frightening experiences I have ever had,” he said. “It was out of control.” Celebrants were not only drinking, but also setting off their own fireworks at close range, he said.

James Monahan, another committee member, supports a change back to evenings, partly because of the weather. Early morning fog sometimes makes it difficult to see the display, disappointing crowds.

“It’s a bad time to get kids out of bed,” he said. “It makes for an awful long day.” He wouldn’t be opposed to a ban on open containers, he said.