Boom May Leave 4th of July as Cities’ Finances Go Pfffffft!

The recession is threatening to take the sparkle out of 4th of July celebrations for North County coastal residents.

In Carlsbad, the Big Bang Committee, which has organized that city’s fireworks display for nine years, announced this week that it has been unable to raise the $27,000 in donations needed to pay for the show.

“We just didn’t raise sufficient funds,” said Bob Nielsen, president of the Big Bang Committee. “It’s just the climate out there right now. There are a lot more worthwhile charities than fireworks.”

In Oceanside, officials said there is no way the city--already hard-pressed to cut millions of dollars from next year’s spending--can afford the $39,000 their display would cost.

That could leave Vista, which still plans a fireworks show, with a lot of visitors from the coast.

Even there, it has been difficult to raise donations because of the economy, said Pepper Sheaffer, Vista’s recreation director.

“We’re still in our fund-raising process,” she said. “It’s going to be tough this year, it was tough last year. . . . But the event is definitely a go.”

To add to the gloom, Oceanside Mayor Larry Bagley said both the Independence Day and Christmas parades also might go by the wayside because of tough economic times. Although the parades have not been officially canceled, Bagley said, “I don’t see (the parades) happening.”

The fireworks, fired from barges anchored off the coast, have attracted tens of thousands to the beaches in years past.

Oceanside public information officer Larry Bauman said that city’s usually spectacular display has drawn up to 100,000 people to the city’s 3.5 miles of beaches.

A rescuer may be on the horizon, at least for Oceanside.

Officials at Fisherman’s Restaurant, on the city pier, have taken the lead in an attempt to raise at least $17,000 in private donations for the fireworks.

Restaurant manager Leo Guy said Friday that the campaign already has raised about $6,000 from private donors and local businesses. The restaurant is offering free dinners to those who donate $50 or more.

“The response has been real positive,” Guy said. “It is for the community. There are so many kids who come out here. It is such a family thing we really hated to see it not happen.”

Guy said donations could be sent to Save the Fireworks, P.O. Box 453, Oceanside, Calif., 92054. Collection boxes also are being distributed at businesses around the city.

One problem might be an estimated $12,000, in addition to the $17,000 for the fireworks themselves, to pay police reserves and overtime costs for security and traffic control.

If Carlsbad does not have its display, that will mean even more people crowded onto Oceanside’s beaches and even more need for security, Bauman said.

Bagley said officials are hoping to cut costs by getting volunteers to man barricades and help direct parking.

He said he is asking the City Council to guarantee it will cover the costs so that a contract can be signed soon with a fireworks company. But he believes private donations will eventually pay for the whole thing without dipping into the city coffers.

Although applauding the effort by the restaurant, Michael Ryan, executive director for the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, said Friday that he is not sure how much support there will be among the hard-pressed business community.

“It’s the double-whammy,” Ryan said. “Desert Storm and the recession. It (the recession) is still here. We haven’t shaken it loose yet.”