Saturday, Jun. 06, 2009
Fourth of July: Morro Bay trades in its booms
In an effort to protect plovers, city will replace Tidelands Park fireworks with a laser show
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closeFlashing lasers packaged with music on an extra-large screen at Tidelands Park will replace the traditional fireworks at the Morro Bay Fourth of July celebration this year.
“We’ve come to be environmentally conscious with all we have here,” said Peter Candela, chief executive officer of the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event.
“We can’t keep letting off explosives over it all.”
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Poll:What do you think of Morro Bay trading its fireworks for a laser show?
The approximately $25,000 event costs the same regardless, Candela added, but without fireworks exploding over the bay, less Coast Guard and firefighter oversight is needed.
Officials are a “little over halfway there” in gathering the donations needed to pay for the entire event, Candela said.
“People might say, ‘Aw, no more fireworks,’ but this is actually better. It’s not just lights in the sky — it’s a whole show,” Candela said. “It’s going to be a thing of the future.”
The show is also intended to protect the snowy plover breeding grounds on the sand spit, an area that has attracted Fourth of July spectators in previous years.
The tiny shorebirds, on the national endangered species list, lay eggs in the sand — putting them at risk of being stepped on.
Despite the change, many staples of the longtime event will remain, including family activities such as a tug-of-war, games and a live band.
The chamber solicits donations to sponsor the event each year, while the city donates many in-kind services to help host it.
“Morro Bay is a community that really does work together,” Candela said.
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