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Mesa's annual fireworks show canceled
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The economy has extinguished a Mesa tradition that's been held every year since 1960.
The president of the Sertoma Club of Mesa, which organizes the annual Fourth of July fireworks event at Mesa Community College, said coming up with the $35,000 or so needed for the annual event has just been "hard to get" this year.
The event draws between 10,000 to 15,000 visitors annually, with many more parking in the garage at nearby Fiesta Mall or sitting in the Rhodes Junior High School field to catch a glimpse of the fireworks.
Sertoma Club president Walt Zimmerman said the faithful sponsors just felt they couldn't afford anything this year because of "business setbacks."
Most of the money was typically raised through sponsorships and some from admission tickets and parking.
Zimmerman, who's been associated with the event since 1973, described the no-show this year as a big disappointment.
"We'd like to have people celebrate the Declaration of Independence," said Zimmerman.
Raising money has been an issue for the past few years for the organizers, who'd ideally strived to donate proceeds from such events to charities. But Zimmerman said last year they lost money on the Fourth of July event and the year prior they "barely broke even."
Until several years ago, Mesa sponsored the fireworks portion of the event, Zimmerman said, but that money also dried up because of budget constraints.
Fireworks shows across the East Valley, including those in Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Tempe and Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass, are still scheduled, according to event Web sites and organizers.
In Queen Creek, Kiwanis Club organizers said that while the show will go on this year, they fear lack of sponsorships might force it to be canceled next year.
Tucson announced last week the city was canceling its fireworks show, citing budget woes. But a day later, businesses and community groups said they plan to pay for the estimated $34,000 cost.
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