Independence Day festival off, but fireworks show still on

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Menifee’s annual Independence Day celebration has been reduced to a fireworks show only, due to concerns over social gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Menifee City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to approve an expanded fireworks display that residents can watch from their homes or from parked cars in the area. Council members said they didn’t want to cancel the annual parade and festival at Wheatfield Park, but concerns that restrictions on large gatherings would continue into the summer factored into their decision.

The event, which is always held the Saturday before July 4, will take place June 27. After considering the cost savings from cancellation of the festival, council members voted to authorize city staff to add up to $10,000 to the $23,000 budget for the fireworks display. That will give the city a bigger fireworks display and still save an estimated $30,000 overall.

A fireworks-only celebration is better than the approximately 29 other area cities that have cancelled their celebrations altogether. According to Community Services Director Jonathan Nicks, 16 other cities are undecided.

Keeping the fireworks display was the third of four options considered from the staff report. The first option, to hold the entire festival as usual, was going to cost an estimated $15,800 more than the original budget of about $50,000 because it would include the purchase of face masks, sanitizer stations and extra security to monitor social distancing.

The second option considered was to reduce the usual crowd of 15,000 to about 2,500 through a ticketing process, making social distancing easier but with its own challenges. The only other option was to cancel the entire event – fireworks and all.

Although it’s possible that large gatherings would be allowed by June 27, the uncertainty of that was a major factor in the council’s decision.

“I would love to go full bore with the festival, but we just don’t know how all this is going to play out,” said Mayor Pro Tem Matt Liesemeyer. “A lot of commitments would have to be made now, and I’d hate to create more work if one or two people pull the plug later. At least the fireworks show will give the people a little ray of light when it’s needed.”

Council member Lesa Sobek agreed with Liesemeyer.

“I’m concerned that if we went with option 2, we’d have a lot of angry residents who couldn’t get in,” Sobek said. “I’m also concerned that Lake Menifee Women’s Club has this as a major fundraiser and will lose that opportunity. I hope that later we can have an opportunity to help them. There are just too many unknowns to go ahead with it.”

Council member Dean Deines said that “option 3 allows us to celebrate our nation’s independence and at the same time operate within the restrictions of the state.”

Mayor Bill Zimmerman and council member Dean Deines cast the other two votes in favor of Liesemeyer’s motion to approve the fireworks-only proposal.

Menifee’s annual Independence Day celebration has been reduced to a fireworks show only, due to concerns over social gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Menifee City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to approve an expanded fireworks display that residents can watch from their homes or from parked cars in the area. Council members said they didn’t want to cancel the annual parade and festival at Wheatfield Park, but concerns that restrictions about large gatherings would continue into the summer factored into their decision.

The event, which is always held the Saturday before July 4, will take place June 27. After considering the cost savings from cancellation of the festival, council members voted to authorize city staff to add up to $10,000 to the $23,000 budget for the fireworks display. That will give the city a bigger fireworks display and still save an estimated $30,000 overall.

That’s better than the approximately 29 other area cities that have cancelled their celebrations altogether. According to Community Services Director Jonathan Nicks, 16 other cities are undecided.

Keeping the fireworks display was the third of four options considered from the staff report. The first option, to hold the entire festival as usual, was going to cost an estimated $15,800 more than the original budget of about $50,000 because it would include the purchase of face masks, sanitizer stations and extra security to monitor social distancing.

The second option considered was to reduce the usual crowd of 15,000 to about 2,500 through a ticketing process, making social distancing easier but with its own challenges. The only other option was to cancel the entire event – fireworks and all.

Although it’s possible that large gatherings would be allowed by June 27, the uncertainty of that was a major factor in the council’s decision.

“I would love to go full bore with the festival, but we just don’t know all this is going to play out,” said Mayor Pro Tem Matt Liesemeyer. “A lot of commitments would have to be made now, and I’d hate to create more work if one or two people pull the plug later. At least the fireworks show will give the people a little ray of light when it’s needed.”

Council member Lesa Sobek agreed with Liesemeyer.

“I’m concerned that if we went with option 2, we’d have a lot of angry residents who couldn’t get in,” Sobek said. “I’m also concerned that Lake Menifee Women’s Club has this as a major fundraiser and will lose that opportunity. I hope that later we can have an opportunity to help them. There are just too many unknowns to go ahead with it.”

Council member Dean Deines said that “option 3 allows us to celebration our nation’s independence and at the same time operate within the restrictions of the state.”

Mayor Bill Zimmerman and council member Dean Deines cast the other two votes in favor of Liesemeyer’s motion to approve the fireworks-only proposal.

“We need to continue this piece of our city history to celebrate as a community the best we can,
especially during this pandemic, but we need to do it in a way that maintains Menifee’s health and
safety,” said Zimmerman. “This option also allows the City to save critical revenue for
other vital city services, but also provides a mechanism for a community event that Menifee has
come to expect and enjoy.”

City officials are working with officials from Mt. San Jacinto College on a plan to have cars park in the MSJC parking lot – spaced six feet apart – to view the nearby fireworks display.

City officials are working with officials from Mt. San Jacinto College on a plan to have cars park in the MSJC parking lot – spaced six feet apart – to view the nearby fireworks display.