MOORPARK : Chamber Cancels Its July 4th Fireworks

Moorpark residents may not get a local fireworks display on the Fourth of July this year.

The Moorpark Chamber of Commerce has decided to stop sponsoring the annual fireworks display that it started three years ago, said Carol Hunt, the chamber’s executive director.

Instead, the chamber plans to use the money it spent on the event for activities that are more related to the group’s mission of promoting local business, she said.

One factor in the cancellation was the poor turnout at last year’s fireworks display, Hunt said. Only 4,500 people attended, 2,000 fewer than in the previous year.

The drop in paid admissions caused the chamber to barely break even on the event, earning only $1,000 more than the $36,289 it spent setting up the fireworks display, she said.

The business group advised local service clubs of its decision to stop holding the Fourth of July celebration, with the hope that one of the clubs will take over sponsorship of the event, Hunt said. She added that she had not heard whether any of the clubs or other groups plan to arrange a fireworks display.