Fox Lake fireworks debate re-ignites

Some Chain O'Lakes boaters are gearing up to fight a proposal to move the 2008 fireworks display off the water and onto dry land.

Jim DeVito, owner of Salsa De Linda in Fox Lake and an avid Chain boater, said he plans to ask the Fox Lake fireworks committee to reconsider a proposal to stage the show on 3 acres next to the village's wastewater treatment plant.

Such a move would destroy the event's 25-year tradition, DeVito said, and be more costly if attendance declines. It has been viewed by more than 7,500 boats and thousands of spectators annually.

"To have it on land at this point, it's going to ruin a lot of people's family outings and tradition," he said. "No one is going to come out if it's launched over the stinky sewer plant."

However, Fox Lake Police Chief Mike Behan, who serves on the committee with other village leaders, said the site is in the center of town and people will not need to sit at the sewer plant to see the show.

"It'll be seen all over the village," Behan said. "Even boaters on the water will be able to see it."

The group originally wanted to hold the show on the water, he said, but the complicated regulations for such events make it better suited for land.

"We don't have barges, we've never done it on the water and there are many, many laws that come into play that we just don't know about," Behan said. "We need to get this project moving forward, and the best way is to find someplace to do it on land."

Village officials took over the annual show after Pete Jakstas Sr., owner of the Mineola Marina and Lounge, retired from the event last year. Jakstas has done it for the last 25 years in front of his business on Fox Lake.

Behan said Jakstas is the one man who knows the ins and outs of shooting off fireworks over water. Jakstas declined an invitation to join the group when approached for guidance earlier this year.

"He's been approached but is reluctant to get involved," Behan said. "So, we need to move forward and that's what we are doing."

The sewer plant site is not set in stone, and a better location may surface, he added.

In past years, people have driven more than 100 miles to see the fireworks on the water, DeVito said. If they don't come out, that monetary loss will hurt the Chain and Fox Lake, he added.

He said he will go before the committee Feb. 26 to request it reconsider the water venue. The meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at village hall, 66 Thillen Drive.

"This is a bad idea," DeVito said. "They should come up with a better solution. Everyone I've talked to said this is just the wrong place to have it."