Batavia's annual fireworks may be fizzling out

Batavia's fireworks program has a lot of change coming its way.

This year -- and likely next as well -- the audience will move from the high school to Engstrom Park because of the school's expansion project.

Beyond that, the show will likely have to be scaled back or moved out of Batavia.

"This is going to be a time to re-adjust and re-evaluate," Mayor Jeff Schielke said.

The high school expansion will, by 2010, leave the fireworks committee with no land on the campus to use for the audience. And no other spots in town seem to meet the criteria for the large audience the $30,000 show brings in, said fireworks committee chairman Roger Breisch.

There are spots in the Tri-Cities that could be used, as well as spots in town, such as Clark Island, where fireworks could be shot off for a smaller crowd.

So the question for residents is whether they want a large show, or a local show, Breisch said.

A community meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 14 at the school district administrative center, 335 W. Wilson St., for anyone interested in discussing the future of Batavia's Fourth of July events.

For the celebrations this year, most of the audience will be at Engstrom Park, on the southeast corner of Main Street and Millview Drive.

The two westernmost baseball fields on the high school campus will be available for residents, but won't have food vendors or music.

Parking will not be available at the high school. Residents can park in the old Siemens lot, the Ace Hardware lot or in the parking lots along Randall Road.

But it would be a good idea to consider walking, Schielke said.

"It's going to be pretty tight out there," he said. "The fewer cars the better, I think."

The fireworks will be shot off very near the usual location, so anyone who watches from their backyard should still be able to see it, Breisch said.

He plans to retire from his post as fireworks chairman -- one he's held for 16 years -- after the 2009 show.

It's good timing to let someone with a new vision take over the program, Breisch said.

Schielke thanked him for his years of work on Fourth of July events.

"He certainly has taken it to a new plateau of achievement," he said. "Roger has done this with a yeoman's amount of dedication."

More information, along with a map of the where the audience should sit, is on the city's Web site at www.cityofbatavia.net.