One month out, the coronavirus pandemic appears poised to snuff out many of the well-known Fourth of July fireworks - or at least the festivals accompanying them.
Most municipalities around the region are either canceling or scaling back festivities. In Hamilton County, Collegedale and Signal Mountain have nixed their fireworks, but Soddy-Daisy's celebration is still in the works. The two fireworks shows within Chattanooga - Pops on the River and a Chattanooga Lookouts game - also appear to be casualties.
Chattanooga Presents produces Pops on the River, which is named for its centerpiece concert by the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera at Coolidge Park.
"I've been holding onto the hope we could salvage the fireworks," said Carla Pritchard, owner of the events company. "I feel like this community needs that."
But with no sponsors stepping forward, even her modest plans for a drive-up fireworks show in another location will have to be scrapped, she said.
Like the rest of minor-league baseball, the Chattanooga Lookouts will not play this season, so there will be no game to have fireworks after at AT&T Field.
The city of Collegedale announced Tuesday that its annual Freedom Celebration, originally set for July 2, has been "reluctantly canceled." The event, in which fireworks cap off a concert by the East Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, typically draws large crowds to the Collegedale Greenway.
"After careful consideration, the difficult decision was made to cancel the popular event out of an abundance of caution," said a statement from Bridgett Raper, communications strategist for the Small Cities Coalition of Hamilton County, of which Collegedale is a member.
Fireworks displays
Canceled: - Freedom Celebration in Collegedale - Signal Mountain - drive-thru barbecue still happening. Place advance orders online. - Pops on the River in Coolidge Park - Chattanooga Lookouts post-game fireworks - Freedom Fest in Greysville, Tenn. - Spring City Shake the Lake celebration canceled in Rhea county Not sure: - The city of Lakesite is still considering options. Still happening: - Soddy-Daisy customary car show, arts and crafts, food vendors, live music and a fireworks finale at the Kids Park at Soddy Lake. - Athens, Tenn. display in Athens Regional Park - LaFayette, Ga. fireworks display on July 3 but Freedom Celebration canceled. - Fort Payne, Ala. July 2 fireworks display (festival, vendors canceled)
Likewise, the town of Signal Mountain has canceled its fireworks show on July 4.
The Signal Mountain Lions Club will still sell barbecue in a drive-thru line at the Althaus Park pavilion, but only in bulk, via advance orders online. No individual plates will be sold, and there will be no live music or children's activities. The neighborhood parade that usually kicks off the day also has been scrubbed.
Ralph Mann, who's in charge of the barbecue, said he and his fellow Lions are "curious and worried about how all this is going to come out," but understands the town's decision.
"Nobody expects you could maintain social distance through fireworks," he said.
In Lakesite, city commissioners are expected to consider options at their next meeting, June 16.
"It's been discussed [at previous meetings], but nothing has been decided yet," said the city recorder, Jodi LaCroix. "They're playing it by ear."
Bucking the trend toward shrinking, planners in Soddy-Daisy are forging ahead with their customary car show, arts and crafts, food vendors, live music and a fireworks finale at the Kids Park at Soddy Lake.
"As far as I know right now, everything at the Fourth of July will be on as usual, if nothing changes between now and then," said Robert Cothran of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 942, which organizes the annual celebration.
Fifteen minutes north in Graysville, Tennessee, the fire department has canceled the Freedom Fest celebration at Kristopher's Kingdom community park. Likewise in Rhea County, Spring City is canceling its Shake the Lake celebration, according to City Manager Stephania Motes.
"We had thought about just having fireworks," she said, "but with other communities canceling, that meant we might get a bigger crowd and our regular numbers are difficult to handle."
In LaFayette, Georgia, Jan Shattuck, administrative assistant to the city manager, said the larger Freedom Celebration has been canceled, but "fireworks are on" for July 3.
In Fort Payne, Alabama, Parks and Recreation Director Robin Brothers said fireworks are still a go for July 2, "but none of the other things we usually have, like the jumpies and bouncies, and the concerts and the food vendors, will happen."
In Athens, Tennessee, where the annual fireworks display is a point of pride, officials said they've devised a plan to shoot fireworks higher so people can spread out more and see them from a longer distance.
"What we're doing is making it a high-altitude show," said Austin Fesmire, director of the Parks and Recreation Department and president of the Athens Parks Foundation, which sponsors the display.
A high-altitude show means punching up the firepower with larger shells than they normally use. Already one of the largest in the area, this year's Fourth of July show will be shortened from 22 minutes to 15 minutes, and the launch site, Athens Regional Park, will be closed to all traffic to accommodate the increased separation distance required for shells this size, some up to 10 inches.
"The biggest shell will have an elevation height of 700 feet and break higher than that," Fesmire said."People shouldn't have any problem seeing them.
"This will be one of the largest shows we've ever put in the air."
Email Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com.